June 28th, 1999

Press release:

LinuxTag 99 - Expectations Exceeded
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  Linux enthusiasts from all over Europe flooded the Kaiserslautern
University campus on the weekend of June 26/27 for the fifth "LinuxTag".
7000 attendees crowded the booths of more than 55 companies and free
software groups, and visited the 50 talks and presentations. The LinuxTag
organizers were pleased with the overwhelming feedback from visitors
and exhibitors.

A Rush for the Talks
--------------------
  Since even the biggest lecture halls were overcrowded during several
talks on Saturday, the LinuxTag team conjured up additional rooms to
give speakers a chance to repeat the most popular talks. Torben Weis
even had to repeat his presentation on the KDE Office Suite twice to
meet the huge demand.

Commercial Vendors and Innovative Free Software Groups Side by Side
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  The event offered exposition space for both commercial vendors and free 
software projects. The vendors comprised well known players HP, IBM, SUN,
Red Hat, SuSE, delix, Corel, ABAS, Parity, ARCAD, ID-Pro, innominate 
and many more, as well as small upstart companies, and covered the whole 
variety from specialized solution providers to Linux distributors.
  Non-commercial software groups offered a peek into current developments.
Users of free software had the rare chance to meet the developers in
person, ask questions, submit feedback, and thank them for their
commitment.
  Highlights were presentations of the upcoming versions of the K Desktop
Environment, the KDE Office Suite and the Debian Linux Distribution on
five different hardware platforms. Karin und Olof S. Kylander, the authors
of the GIMP user manual, demonstrated the features of the popular
graphics software; XFree86 developers Harald Koenig und Egbert Eich
surprised with a first snapshot of the new multiscreen support.
  Fantastic hardware-accelerated 3D-graphics, bombastic sound, and 
competitive network gameplay of "Parsec", a 360-degree space combat game,
attracted a big audience and showed the huge potential of games for Linux.

A Great Combination
-------------------
  The combination of commercial vendors and free software projetcs offered
enormous advantages to both sides. Commercial sponsors made it possible
to offer exposition space to the free groups at no cost. The commitment
and diversity of the free projects clearly demonstrated the community
spirit at the roots of the Linux success story.
  LinuxTag lead organizer Oliver Zendel observed: "The LinuxTag event
could not have taken place without the support of Kaiserslautern
University, the University Computer Center and the many volunteers. We
are grateful for all their great support, patience, and endurance."

An Event with Tradition
-----------------------
  "We are pleased with our successful presentation of the big spectrum of
Linux applications to a broad audience," Oliver Zendel summarized. Taking
the growing number of visitors into account, changes are inevitable,
but as Mr. Zendel said on the LinuxTag press conference on Sunday:
"We do not want to change our concept, but we seek to create conditions
that allow us to continue to grow and meet our visitors' demands. It
would be a setback if we ceased to grow."


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About LinuxTag:

The LinuxTag is an annual event organized by the Kaiserslautern University
Unix Society "Unix-AG". It targets the end user and intends to present
the broad spectrum of Linux applications and solutions.
  Public talks range from introductions to the Linux OS and popular free
software packages to in-depth discussions of current trends in Linux software
development.
  Commercial vendors can present their products at the exhibition.
Additionally, lecture halls are available for supplementary presentations.
The non-profit event is carried by sponsorships from the commercial
vendors. Free software projects can showcase their work at the exposition
at no cost, and the admission for the visitors to the exhibitions and
all talks is free of charge. 
  More information is available on the official website at www.linuxtag.org.