PRESS RELEASE
Benelux is getting its own Linux Congress...
Brussels, 1 April 1999. Following the phenomenal success of the Linux World Expo and the constant attention lavished on Linux by the media and industry, EFE, an independent French group specializing in management training, is organizing the first business-to-business Congress titled "Linux & Open Source Code Congress & Trade Fair" on 29 and 30 June in Zaventem.
Over the past few months, there has been much speculation about the commercial and practical possibilities of the Linux freeware operating system. But what is it all about? During a two-day congress, the IT industry of the Benelux countries will take a neutral approach to analyzing the commercial movements behind Linux and the technical and strategic implications of it.
Jan Guldentops, General Manager of Better Access who has been active in the Linux movement for years, says: "The entire industry is shoving Linux to the forefront as a kind of long-awaited Microsoft killer. It is time that this whole hype is matter-of-factly put into perspective. A Linux Congress at which the key players from the industry are in attendance is an appropriate opportunity to do this."
During the presentation and more informally during the trade fair, participants can get to know the practical applications of Linux. Particular attention will be given to specialized applications such as supercomputing (clustering), firewalls, wireless networking, security, data warehousing and desktop computing.
The commercial and strategic decisions made by big players such as IBM, HP, Computer Associates, Oracle, and SCO with regards to Linux and Open Source will also be addressed. Frederic De Meyer, ICT Division Director of EFE and the inspiration for the Linux Congress, says: "These announcements give a clear indication that Linux is ready for operation within the corporate world. Perhaps not as a replacement of 'classic' operating systems such as Unix and Windows NT, but rather in very specific critical applications such as data warehousing, networking or R&D." These visions of the future will confront each other in a panel debate in which big names such as Microsoft, Informix, IBM, HP and SCO hold their own against each other.
The organizers of the 'Linux and Open Source Code Congress & Trade Fair' are counting on a great deal of interest from suppliers and users. "Neither IT developers nor corporate users can still afford to ignore the existence of Linux," according to Frederic De Meyer. "The very fact that Linus Thorvalds, the father of Linux, was recently named one of the 15 most influential IT figures in history by PC Week, alongside Bill Gates, Jim Clarc and Larry Elison, is a clear indication of that."
This Congress will therefore concentrate on the following:
IT managers and corporate decision makers who must make strategic decisions and may find in Linux a factor allowing for increased efficiency.
System and network managers who want to know precisely which applications are possible with Linux and open source.
· System integrators, producers and IT solution providers.
For further information:
About the Congress: About Linux and other technical issues:
Frederic De Meyer Jan Guldentops
EFE Belgium Better Access
+32 2 533 10 19 +32 16 29 80 45
fdemeyer@efe.be jacko@ba.be
http://linuxcongres.ba.be
About EFE's ICT division:
This conference is being organized by the ICT (Information & Communication Technologies) division of EFE. EFE is an independent publishing company and training centre.
EFE has successfully earned an excellent reputation on an international scale in the field of business-to-business information. They have offices in Paris, Luxembourg, Geneva, Lisbon and Madrid.
About Linux:
Linux is a freeware operating system which was developed in 1994 by Linus Thorvalds from Finland. With the help of a wealth of users scattered around the Internet, Linux has since developed into one of the most complete operating systems on the market. It nevertheless remains free of charge.