Comdex/Windows World Takes On Linux Cast

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April 08, 1999 (12:00 AM EDT)

By Lee Copeland,

For a show supposedly devoted to Windows, Comdex/Windows World is taking on a decidedly Linux tint.

Bowing to pent-up demand from the open source faithful, and perhaps needing to bolster its attendance, Comdex/Spring '99 will spotlight Windows- and Linux-based solutions under the big top on April 19 to April 20 in Chicago.

Microsoft's CEO, Bill Gates, is expected to preview Windows 2000 during his keynote address on "Enabling The Future With Windows." But within minutes, Linus Torvalds, founder of the Linux open source operating system, will deliver his piece on the "History of a Small OS" to kick off the Linux Global Summit.

A Comdex spokeswoman said the show will offer two separate tracks, Windows World and The Linux Global summit, in keeping with strong industry interest. This is the first year Linux solutions will move from a smaller pavilion to the fun-fledged focus of the Linux Global Summit, she said. Preliminary mailings on the show made no mention of the Linux track, however, leading many to believe this was a last-minute addition.

While Torvalds and Gates spar over OS issues, a full flank of partners plan to be on hand.

Caldera Systems, in Orem, Utah, will unveil its first fully graphical installation of OpenLinux 2.2. Company officials said the product offers new "point-and-click" capabilities and installs more easily. Caldera's CEO, Ransom Love, will also host a panel at Comdex/Spring.

"In a nutshell, the whole industry is in the midst of a paradigm shift," said Love. "Just like LANs replaced the mainframe and centralized management environments, the Internet is acting as the network. The industry is moving from PCs and LANs to Internet devices that connect to the Internet in a secure way.

The Linux side of the line-up panels will include its major players, Red Hat Software, Enhanced Software Technologies, Linux Hardware Solutions, and Microlite.

A number of Microsoft partners plan to announce support for Microsoft Windows 2000 Beta 3 at the show.

Unisys said it plans to leverage its Enterprise NT Centers of Excellence and technology laboratories to evaluate the capabilities of the new Windows 2000 operating environment. Furthermore, Unisys said it plans to develop products and services letting customers deploy Windows 2000 when the final product is released later this year.

Quicknet Technologies, in San Francisco, will unveil its latest generation Internet telephone hardware and software for making high-quality Internet-based telephone calls. It also will demonstrate a Web 800 feature, an e-commerce tool that voice-enables websites for use in small call centers and offices.

"We mostly sell our products via PC/data [resellers] and catalog resellers," said Stacie Reineccius, president of Quicknet. "We're thinking about selling through large distributors like Ingram Micro and Tech Data, but haven't made a commitment yet."

Silanis Technology, Montreal, will demonstrate its electronic approval and signature software, ApproveIt, at the Microsoft Partner at the show. FileNet, in Costa Mesa, Calif., also plans to demonstrate how Windows 2000 works with its document management products.

ReSet Software Development, based in Gig Harbor, Wash., plans to announce ReSet2000NT, a crash-recovery product. The product allows users to save critical files, restores the registry by replacing binary files and saves the Windows NT registry using a RAM extraction process.

Nonaligned vendors also have a part in the conference.

Wintec Industries, a memory manufacturer and computer products distributor based in Fremont, Calif., said it plans to "introduce" itself after 10 years in the industry with no media relations outreach. Company executives will be on hand to discuss products, technology and trends in the memory industry.

The Mobile Computing Division of 3Com, in Santa Clara, Calif., plans to show the new Megahertz 10/100-Mb-per-second Ethernet and 56-Kb modem combo CardBus PC Card. It is selling for $329.

Tripp Lite Manufacturing, Chicago, is debuting its Smart 450 UPS, a rackmount UPS that can also be used in tower and wall-mount configurations. Other new products include new Unison true online UPS series in 1 and 2 kVA sizes. The company will launch a new product line to address large data center and AS/400 applications.

Tektronix, Wilsonville, Ore., will show its latest color laser and solid-ink printers. The company said it plans to offer resellers a new guarantee program geared at increasing sales of solid ink printers. Clients who purchase a Tektronix solid-ink printer will have a 60-day trial period. If, during that time, they feel they should have bought a laser printer, the company will take the solid ink printer back and issue a full credit good for the purchase of its laser printers and accessories.

Resellers looking for UPS hardware and software vendor Exide Electronics will have to instead turn to Powerware, in Raleigh, N.C. Powerware changed its corporate and product names last week.

Kimberly Caisse, Stuart Glascock, Warren S. Hersch, Joseph F. Kovar and Marcia Savage contributed to this story.