Sunday April 23, 2006 links for 2006-04-24
-
This week is TV Turn-Off Week. Sounds a wonderful idea.
Posted by webmink
( Apr 23 2006, 06:20:17 PM PDT )
Permalink
Parasites and Revolutionaries
I did some research on why there are no international corporate IT exhibitors at FISL this year, despite it being a vibrant venue attended by all the technology folks who will be building tomorrow's Brazil. As has happened in many other countries round the world, the LinuxWorld conference has moved in here and leeched all the corporate money out of the grass-roots events. Last year we saw Sun, IBM, Unisys, HP and more at FISL; this year there was just Sun. Even Jon "maddog" Hall is missing this year - he's been an anchor for FISL but this year has gone to LinuxWorld.
For the exhibitors it is understandable to a degree. The sponsorships are authorised by people with little empathy for F/OSS and LinuxWorld, with its promise of IT buyers, sounds a better bet than FISL with its grass-roots activists. But my observation in the US is that LinuxWorld has lost its charm and all the big names are thinking twice about spending money on it.
Why? Well, once it becomes a corporate marketplace, with admission and exhibit fees in that stratosphere, the grass-roots people can't afford to attend even if they want to. The content declines, the glory moves on and the event is left as a shallow warehouse experience, more cathedral than bazaar. But by the time that happens, the grass-roots events like FISL have been destroyed. It's very sad, but it's what happens when the parasites annex the revolution.
Posted by webmink
( Apr 23 2006, 08:13:01 AM PDT )
Permalink
Comments [1]
