LinuxWorld Is No More

Well, this wasn't unexpected, but it's sad news nonetheless. According to an announcement from IDG today, the show known as LinuxWorld has gone into the history books.

The show isn't gone completely; it's now going to be called OpenSource World Conference and Expo. The idea, it seems, is to expand the scope of the original LinuxWorld show and bring in a broader set of open source companies and projects. Since IDG runs these shows for profit, I think it's safe to assume that it's the companies IDG is interested in--they're the ones that will be the show's sponsors.

So, on the one hand, there will be the addition of open source projects like OpenBSD, FreeBSD, and the rest of the BSDs into an international show's spotlight. Expect a stronger presence from Sun Microsystems promoting OpenSolaris. That's natural to assume. But I also fear we're going to see a stronger presence from another company that purports itself to be open source: Microsoft.

I would not be surprised that the influx of more sponsorship from these corporations and others was a big part of the reason why IDG made this decision to shift the focus of the show. It will be easier to ask for a bigger sponsorship from Microsoft and Sun for an open source show than a Linux show.

I am also wondering if the Linux commercial vendors' recent decisions to expand their own trade shows and reduce their presences at LinuxWorld might have also played a part in the decision to change to OpenSource World. Red Hat in particular seems to have taken a "why preach to the choir?" approach and has not had a big presence on the show floor in a couple of years. What that translates into for show organizers, ultimately, is less money.

I am not trying to take a purist approach and say that it should be a "Linux-only" show. That ship has sailed, and it would be impractical for IDG's goals. But I think we need to be expect some interesting changes as the focus of this new OpenSource World broadens beyond the scope of LinuxWorld.