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A L S O_ T O D A Y 21st Log Amway joins the online multi-level marketing melee   T A B L E__T A L K iMacs and SUVs. Is the Net yet another consumer item we really don't need? Debate its true value in Table Talk   Search for technology books, software and more at barnesandnoble.com Search by:  Keyword Title Author     ____________________ Technology news from Yahoo may join AOL's fight to open cable ____________________   R E C E N T L Y Molotovs and mailing lists By Austin Bunn When bomb-throwers target e-mail discussions, no one can escape the carnage (03/03/99) Terrors of the Amazon By Lev Grossman A writer journeys into the strange, savage land of his readers and finds himself performing unspeakable acts (03/02/99) In defense of day traders By Paul Kedrosky Don't blame them for Net-stock volatility. They're just doing their job: Making the market more efficient (03/01/99) Crips, Bloods in the Web 'hood By Greg Brouwer Are gang sites for real or for wannabes? (02/26/99) Hotline's civil war By Janelle Brown The company behind a hot program takes its teenage inventor to court -- while devoted users stew. Second in a two-part series (02/25/99) - - - - - - - - - - BROWSE THE 21ST FEATURES ARCHIVES - - - - - - - - - -

-----Gathering of the Linux tribes Amid LinuxWorld hoopla, hackers and suits eye each other warily. BY ANDREW LEONARD SAN JOSE -- Linus Torvalds finally got his cue to leave the monster party that capped the first full day of LinuxWorld when the band started playing. It wasn't the paparazzi-like press that forced him out, or the throngs of adulatory fans pestering him for autographs. Torvalds accepted those indignities with customary grace. But there was no avoiding the band, a Devo-ish collection of wackos who were generating some serious noise. And Torvalds' two very small daughters, Patricia and Daniela, simply could not be expected to put up with such techno-punk pyrotechnics. What kind of man would bring a 2-year-old and a 10-month-old to a party attended by literally thousands of beer- and wine-guzzling geeks hopped up on the exhilaration of the free software/open-source movement at a moment of triumph? A family man, actually. Larry Augustin, the chairman of LinuxWorld, noted during his introduction of Torvalds as keynote speaker that the conference staff had become alarmed when they couldn't find Torvalds just before the sound check. Not to worry, said Torvalds' wife, Tove -- he'd gone to get the diaper bag. Torvalds clearly takes his child-care responsibilities as seriously as he does his commitment to extending the Linux kernel -- the core of the now-famous open-source operating system shaking up the entire computing industry. His essential solidity serves as reassurance for those who wonder about Linux's future direction. On the first day of the first LinuxWorld -- the biggest Linux-themed event ever held -- it was plain that corporate involvement in open source is destined to rise dramatically. That could lead to debilitating culture clashes, along with ever-tougher questions about whether companies can actually make money from free software. How the conflicts will all play out is anyone's guess. But with the steady hand of Linus Torvalds at the tiller, right now there is good reason for those at the San Jose Convention Center, as Torvalds encouraged them, to "partay!" The corporate world has arrived -- there is no question about that. Melissa London, PR director for the leading Linux distribution vendor Red Hat, said that she and Bob Young, Red Hat's CEO, shared a "bittersweet" moment when they first walked onto the exhibit room floor and saw all the fancy booths. Not too long ago, recalled London, Linux events were low-budget affairs where you were lucky if you had a backdrop to stand in front of, much less a booth. But at LinuxWorld, the likes of Compaq, Sun and Hewlett-Packard were out in force, and Linux vendors such as Red Hat, Caldera, Suse, along with hardware vendors like Larry Augustin's VA Research, were determined to look as glossy as the big boys. Red Hat's booth flaunted a gleaming Harley, soon to be given away to some lucky soul. Meanwhile, across the floor, the upstart Linux support company, LinuxCare, was also getting into the giveaway act with a new Volkswagen Beetle. Keynote speeches from Corel CEO Michael Cowpland and Oracle's vice president of international marketing, Mark Jarvis, further underlined the new corporate profile of open source. IBM held a press conference; VA Research announced a deal with Intel. Red Hat's Bob Young wore the self-satisfied smile of the Cheshire cat. A year ago he was making outlandish promises about corporate support for Linux; now his predictions are coming true. But the corporate invasion existed in a parallel universe with what one attendee called "the gathering of the tribes." Everyone who is anybody in the free software/open-source movement was here. And the smiles exchanged between fellow hackers seemed as much generated by the simple thrill of seeing so many geeks in one place as by the joy of finally making the case for free software to big business. N E X T_ P A G E .|. Can free-software idealism and corporate profits coexist? LINUX MASCOT BY LARRY EWING - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Become a Salon member. Click here.