Author: JT Smith
“XFree86 has been running as a developers hot-house at ALS for the last two years,” said XFree86 Program Chair Keith Packard. “We were delighted to be invited to share the Oakland Marriott with ALS as we have always found the ALS atmosphere and community to be supportive of our efforts.”
XFree86 is already used in a wide variety of operating systems and has seen a surge in use within the Linux environment as Linux has grown within the mainstream computing industry. The XFree86 conference runs concurrently with ALS, providing opportunities to share current and upcoming projects within a community that typically works in isolation and without the interaction already enjoyed by Linux groups.
“This is a chance for us to present all aspects of Linux computing,” said ALS Program Chair Bryan Andregg. “ALS has always offered a strong program with highly technical information for Linux developers. This conference is about the breadth and depth of technical knowledge a developer needs and that includes all the kernels, tools, and methods involved in running a Linux system.”
The ALS Conference provides Linux professionals with intensive learning via three days of tutorials and 12 topic including Linux kernels, Samba Servers, Cryptography and Authentication, UNIX/Linux Network Administration, Perl, LDAP, Beowulf, KDE, GNOME, and XFree86 configuration. These classes are taught by Linux gurus including Ted Ts’o, Stephen Tweedie, Gerald Carter, and Phil Cox.
Three technical conference days also feature top Linux topics and presenters starting with Keynote Thomas Sterling of the California Institute of Technology and NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Paper presentations include Embedding Linux to Track Concealed Weapons, Managing Software Distributions, the MAGNeT Toolkit, New File I/O Benchmarks for Linux, Linux Clusters, Security issues, and a closing session on the use of Linux in Robotics today. The program also touches broader topics such as the Free Software Foundation’s presentation on Software Freedom, SAGU: Open Source Unified Management for Educational Institutions, and Protecting Trademarks on Software in an Open Source Environment. Attendees are encouraged to discuss their projects in five minute presentations called Works-In-Progress, that have often spurred suggestions and new contacts from this active community.
The XFree86 conference also features three workshop classes and presentations by rising stars including Sivan Toledo and Lars Knoll, two top Qt developers; Jonathan Blandford’s presentation on how GTK+ 2.0 will be portability and extensibility to this important toolkit; Alexander Guy’s important work in Linux for handheld devices and embedded systems; and XFree86 keynote speaker Dirk Hohndel, CTO of SuSE Inc., who promises surprises in his presentation.
ALS is also recognized for its valuable evening events, particularly the attendee coordinated Birds-of-a-Feather sessions, wherein like minds gather around a topic of their choice. The conference also celebrates Linux’s 10-year anniversary via a presentation of the history of Linux by USENIX Historian Peter Salus, and an attendee party sponsored by Linux Journal.
The 5th Annual Linux Showcase and Conference is sponsored by the USENIX Association and the Atlanta Linux Showcase, Inc., in cooperation with Linux International. Detailed program and registration information can be found online at http://www.linuxshowcase.org. Press and analysts are invited to register for complimentary technical session passes by emailing Monica Ortiz at monica@usenix.org.
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The 5th Annual Linux Showcase and Conference
November 5-10, 2001
Oakland Marriott City Center
Oakland, California
http://www.linuxshowcase.org
About the USENIX Association
USENIX is the Advanced Computing Systems Association. For over 25 years, it has been the leading community for engineers, system administrators, scientists, and technician working on the cutting edge of the computing world. USENIX conferences are the essential meeting grounds for the presentation and discussion of technical advances in all aspects of computing systems. For more information about the USENIX Association, visit http://www.usenix.org
