O P E N I N G R E P O R T
Berlin, 24 June 2009 – On Wednesday Europe’s leading meeting place for Linux and Open Source opened its doors on the Berlin Exhibition Grounds. For four days LinuxTag 2009 is inviting developers, users and interested visitors to attend more than 300 individual events, including an outstanding programme of papers, a Business & Public Authorities Conference as well as workshops and tutorials. A total of 69 companies and 66 independent projects are displaying new hardware and software solutions as well as innovative services. Once again the organisers LinuxTag e.V. and Messe Berlin expect more than 10,000 visitors from around the world to attend.
Oliver Zendel, Chairman of LinuxTag e. V.: “In times of economic crisis LinuxTag 2009 shows the opportunities for modern uses of IT. This is an impressive demonstration by the commercial exhibitors and independent projects here in Berlin that the idea of open source can also work in practice.”
A more wide-ranging and diverse programme of papers than ever before
The programme of papers at the 15th LinuxTag is more wide-ranging than ever before. For the first time the papers will run over four days and seven parallel tracks. The list of speakers reads like a who's who of the international open source community. Keynote speakers at LinuxTag 2009 in Berlin include Matthias Ettrich (Nokia), Glibc maintainer Ulrich Drepper (Red Hat) and Linux bestseller author Michael Kofler. Speakers from a total of 23 countries will offer their knowledge and experiences at LinuxTag 2009.
Compared with papers from previous years it is clear that there are significantly more topics for system administrators. The organisers have responded to demands from visitors to offer more directly usable information. This is underlined by tracks on storage networks, high-level availability, system management and virtualisation.
Reports by users who have conducted development projects in threshold countries and developing countries occupy a large section. Thus there are reports on the OLPC project’s work in Afghanistan und Uruguay. The paper by the Free Software Foundation from Africa (FOSSFA) reporting on the successes and difficulties experienced on this continent also promises to be fascinating. The programme also includes the latest information on software patents and ideas on data storage and online voting.
Case studies on migration and open source software
The Business & Public Authorities Conference which takes place on 24 and 25 June dwells on the practical uses of open source software in companies and public administrative departments. The focus is on migration, case studies and reports as well as on business processes using Linux. Thus the Business & Public Authorities Conference targets decision-makers and strategists. Over the course of two parallel series of papers a total 34 users, system integrators and manufacturers will report on their experiences with free software.
A stage for innovations from companies and projects
Visitors to the exhibition can look forward to numerous product debuts and taking a look behind the scenes at future developments. Among the numerous innovations are security packages for mobile users (GeNUCard from GeNUA), a software suite for network-wide security assessment (Open Vulnerability Assessment System) and open Linux Smartphones (ROAD handyPC). New versions of familiar infrastructure solutions also await visitors, including the opsi 3.4 desktop management system, e-mail appliances from Sendmail and Exceed onDemand 7® from the Open Text Connectivity Solutions Group, which makes it possible to use Unix applications on Windows and Linux workstations. Based on MPEG4, the future standard for compressing audio data, the French startup VisionR is developing new and interactive value-added services for internet radios.
Open Source in the colours of the “Tricolore”
The number of exhibitors from France at this year’s LinuxTag is higher than ever before. 14 companies are displaying their open source products and services in the display halls on the Berlin Exhibition Grounds. Besides established names such as Linagora, Mandriva and Talend, a number of new and innovative companies are represented at LinuxTag. Worldwide, France is among the countries which have pioneered the use of free software in the civil service. France’s domestic industry for open source software is supported by strong demand from public institutions such as gendarmeries, ministries, the City Hall of Paris and French parliament.
Focus on advanced training
This year Europe’s largest event for Linux and free software is again presenting outstanding opportunities for advanced training and careers. The tutorials, repetitorials and exams target current and future Linux and open source developers as well as administrators. As partners of this important part of the event the German Unix User Group (GUUG) and Linux Professional Institute (LPI) ensure that teaching is both high-quality and balanced.
Live attacks at the hacking contest
Traditionally, the international LinuxTag hacking contest is one of the highlights of this event marathon. On 26 June at 3 p.m. a competition between several teams to secure and immunise a free operating system against attacks will begin. The system must then prove its worth and be able to resist attacks. Participants will present their preparations for attacks, the immunisation phase and a final demonstration of the remaining exploits live on stage.
Germany’s foreign minister patron of LinuxTag 2009
Foreign Minister Dr. Frank-Walter Steinmeier is acting as patron of LinuxTag 2009. As at the previous event his support will emphasise the importance of this technology for industry as an innovative force in Germany and for medium-sized enterprises in Germany and Europe. This is another reason why under Steinmeier’s leadership the foreign ministry’s IT strategy has developed in the direction of open source applications and Linux..
About LinuxTag
LinuxTag 2009 is taking place from 24 to 27 June on the Berlin Exhibition Grounds. Europe’s leading event for Linux and free software is expected to attract an attendance of more than 10,000. The four-day event offers the very latest information for professional users, decision-makers, developers, beginners and the community. In addition to the programme of papers and a separate Business & Public Authorities Conference, LinuxTag traditionally includes an exhibition featuring projects and companies associated with the Open Source sector. Verein LinuxTag e.V. is the non-commercial organiser of the event, which is staged jointly with Messe Berlin GmbH. More details can be found at www.linuxtag.org.