In tech circles, Washington state may be best known as Microsoft’s stomping grounds -- but it’s also home to a thriving community of people devoted to Linux and other open-source programs. That community is gathering Saturday and Sunday in Bellingham for one of its big annual events: LinuxFest Northwest, now in its 10th year.
Just don’t ask how many people will be there. Admission is free, there’s no need to register in advance, and conference organizers haven’t made a habit of tracking attendance in years past.
“I wish I could tape some of the meetings where we’re discussing this, because there are people who say, ‘No we don’t care -- we really don’t care how many people,’ ” said Carl Symons of the Bellingham Linux Users Group, which organizes the event. He laughed as he explained the logic: “If you want a number, then this isn’t the place for you.”
Welcome to the world of open-source software.
LinuxFest Northwest this year offers a deep schedule of sessions on topics ranging from cloud computing and open-source farming to Linux host intrusion detection systems and the physics of computer security. And there will be plenty talk about in the hallways, following Oracle's agreement to acquire Sun Microsystems and Canonical's release of a new Ubuntu Linux version, "Jaunty Jackalope."
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