Wednesday, April 08, 2009

Linux Foundation Collaboration Summit keynote notes

These may be a little ad hoc but here are some quick notes from the Jim Zemlin's welcoming talk on the state of Linux and the Linux Foundation at the third annual Linux Foundation Collaboration Summit.

Jim Zemlin kicked off the conference with an observation that even in tight times over 400 attendees made it to the 3rd annual Collaboration Summit.

Linux is now being used by nearly ever person in the world nearly every day (cue IBM prodigy video) followed by a slide showing a large number of servers and appliances where Linux is used.

3 trends and 3 opportunities...

Trend One:  It's the Economy

IDC:  50_% Yes for servers and clients, 25% evaluating, 25% No on evaluating Linux.

Increasing mergers/consolidation driving IT infrastructure consolidation.

Linux brings lower costs, greater simplicity.  A recession causes enterprises to re-think fixed cost assumptions iwth Linux on the desktop.

Linux-related software spending is to increase at 2-3X the rate of Unix and Windows in the overall market.

Linux is the primary beneficiary of the recession, growing 2-3 times faster than any other platform.

Trend 2:  Redefining the desktop


Is this again "The Year of the Desktop"?

Old desktop, Thinkpad T20, over $1000, crappy battery.

Also had a Motorola "Flip Phone",

Apple iPhone, about same processor (really?) as Thinkpad T20.

HP Mini 1000, 1.6 MHz Atom, 120 GB Storage, wifi, bluetooth, web cam VOIP, $250.  Note:  Cheaper than the iPhone.  Convergence is starting to happen - are phones the clients of the future?  Or sub/mini-notebooks?

Is the PDA or desktop or Kindle the new desktop of the future?  Is the TV the future?  Mobile internet?  Is your car the new desktop. Picture  of a complex chair with panoramic display.  Or will it be a holographic display interface a la MIT's Human Interface lab activities.

Linux can support any of these models today.  Linux is a key and fundamental component of all of these interfaces.

Trend Three:  The Cloud

It is real.  Linux has the vast lead in the cloud computing space. List of companies:  mozy, cassatt, flexiscale, opennebula.org, simory, elastra, mosso, dell, google, 3tera, morph, 10gen, salesforce.com, cohestiveFT, IBM, elastichosts, amazon web services, etc. etc.

Linux has the clear and dominating lead in the cloud computing space.

Opportunity #1:  Standards


Linux standardization.  Cool picture of penguins with different faces.

Major goal is to keep standards open and fair.  Trying to avoid a de facto, lock-in "standard" such as what exists today.

Opportunity #2:  Unified Defense


Still hearing that Linux may not be safe - a quadrillion dollars of money runs through the Chicago Merchantile Exchange today, all using Linux. 

Open Invention network, defensive publications, software freedom law center, linux defenders, patent commons, peer to patent, open  source, OSAPA, Post issue peer to patent, Linux Legal Defense Fund all out there, coordinating, making sure that Linux is a safe platform for end users.  Working on both defending Linux within the systems as well as evolving the legal environment

Opportunity #3:  It's not just about price:

Windows video looking for a laptop supporting his needs, under $1500. Microsoft is competing for the first time on price.

Now story of Zemlin's equivalent shopping experience.  Google G1 @ $179, 42" plasma television $699, HP laptop $250, $99 DVR, and bought an OLPC and gave it to a child in need for $199 - all under the $1500 price paid in the microsoft commercial.

Linux is changing entire models from a technical and business sense.

What's going on at the Linux Foundation. 

Events -> Web -> Workgroups -> Training -> Legal Defense -> Standards -> Promotion -> Fellows.

See Wikinomoics - #1 example is Linux.  And now time for Linux to up the ante on collaboration.

Television training programs with live telepresense at any time, new social networking tools, fellowship programs to enable people to continue to maintain linux.com (kernel.org?).

Picture of 7*9 - 63 large members.  This is where the greater Linux ecosystem comes together.  New members are welcomed to get involved.




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