[svlug] feature report - LinuxWorld Expo 2004 San Francisco

[James Todd]

i can only believe that '02 was a completely different time. i wasn't there
so there is little i can add.

i attended lw.nyc '04 earlier this year:

	http://weblogs.java.net/pub/wlg/1002

along with it being my first time in nyc (and getting to attend the letterman
show) the pavillion was great, on par with a mini java one with regards to my
personal interactions. jds was newly announced and there was huge interest and
understanding. some of our jxta east coast customers simply stopped by to chat.
good times. a real blast.

in comparision, i thought lw.sf '03 was pretty weak. it just felt ... odd,
fragmented ... suits to the left of me and .org to the right. the context of
the discussions were way low.

now, lw.sf '04 was way better this year mod some anomolies, 4 to be precise.
beyond that the discussions were spot on and non stop ... hence the perspective
when i first chimed in that the initial reports were so off the mark. lots of
java work, largely enterprise and in the telco. some scripting folks interested
in jxta for network testing (a near and dear topic to me). etc. i do promise
to blog this pup shortly.

rock on,

- james

Drew Bertola wrote:
> On Mon, 2004-08-09 at 19:35, James Todd wrote:
> 
>>If you do happen to engage in a discussion with Sun (or anyone) and
>>take the time to make a statement do yourself a favor and participate
>>in the response. I think you will be pleasantly suprised.
> 
> 
> My inward response to this whole thread has been "track record."
> 
> If I happen to engage in a discussion with the committee to reelect Bush
> / Cheney, and (perhaps having drank five beers and no one else to talk
> to) I participate in the response, will I be pleasantly surprised? 
> (this is merely for illustration)
> 
> I doubt it.  
> 
> Should I believe any promises made in their current campaign, or rely on
> what I've seen over the past 4 years?  For me, this is not a tough
> decision, nor is the process restricted to presidential elections.
> 
> Anyway, I didn't bother talking to anyone at any of the big booths
> unless I already know them.  
> 
> I have a lot of respect for HP's early adoption and promotion of Linux. 
> It pre-dates most of the other big companies and it was supported from
> the top.  But the last time I talked to anyone at their booth, all I got
> was this very polished and persuasive sales pitch.  The only thing I got
> out of it was a lesson in how to be a salesman (ask questions, use
> responses to direct conversations towards your products, execute
> scripted pitch, politely hand-off to attendee if they look skeptical).
> 
> Likewise, the last time I spoke with anyone at Sun's booth (LWCE-NY,
> Javits Center, Jan 2002), I failed to get a chance to ask the questions
> and the conversation became one sided.  As soon as I asked if the
> product (Sun One Java Web Server) was open source, I was asked what I
> would need with the source.  I felt like I would have spent hours
> answering that question, but luckily for everyone within earshot, I
> glimpsed a cool new rack cluster system across the aisle.
> 
> --
> Drew
> 
> 
> 
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