Hundreds flocked to Linuxfest Northwest 2004
Newsbyte-Technology Across Washington
Technology Across Washington: Hundreds flocked to Linuxfest Northwest
by Anna Ehnmark
by Anna Ehnmark
Linuxfest Northwest 2004 (LFNW) was a resounding success. Over 1,000 people attended the event at Bellingham Technical College in Bellingham on Saturday, April 17.
The event attracted computer enthusiasts from all across the Pacific Northwest, including but not limited to Bellingham, Seattle and Vancouver.
"The event is a showcase for what Northwest Linux users are doing with Linux and open source software," says Al Castle from Stargate Telecom and a volunteer event organizer. It's a place for Linux enthusiasts to get together to share their passion for Linux and open source technology. "The event is also intended to educate the public and promote the use of the Linux Operating System," Castle continues.
Unlike most corporate or technical conferences LFNW is a grassroots, volunteer organized event, which is operated in an open source spirit. Although businesses are represented, the idea behind the expo is non-commercial and the emphasis is on showing off cool projects and technology rather than trying to make sales.
A lot of companies took the opportunity to showcase their use of Linux and other open source software and services catered to the open source community.
FiberCloud, a Class A data center in Bellingham was one of the many local tech companies attending Linuxfest. "What a great opportunity it was to let tech professionals from throughout the Northwest know about the incredible technology resources and talent we have here in Whatcom County. Linuxfest definitely puts Bellingham on the map," notes Fred Miller of FiberCloud.
The 1000+ attendees and 40 exhibitors consisting of hobbyists, demo exhibits and commercial displays crowded the Bellingham Technical College's show room, which normally serves as a cafeteria.
Presentations and lectures ran continuously in six other rooms throughout the day. Highlighted speakers include Rasmus Lerdorf, creator of the PHP scripting language, Chuck Gray, IBM's Senior Linux strategist and Tim Whitham from the Open Source Development Labs.
Linux and open source software is gaining in popularity worldwide and the increasing popularity of the annual Linuxfest Northwest event shows that this trend is also true for the Pacific Northwest.
The event was organized by Linux User Groups from Bellingham, Seattle, Tacoma, Kitsap Peninsula and Vancouver and Victoria, B.C. The event was generously hosted by the Bellingham Technical College.
The event attracted computer enthusiasts from all across the Pacific Northwest, including but not limited to Bellingham, Seattle and Vancouver.
"The event is a showcase for what Northwest Linux users are doing with Linux and open source software," says Al Castle from Stargate Telecom and a volunteer event organizer. It's a place for Linux enthusiasts to get together to share their passion for Linux and open source technology. "The event is also intended to educate the public and promote the use of the Linux Operating System," Castle continues.
Unlike most corporate or technical conferences LFNW is a grassroots, volunteer organized event, which is operated in an open source spirit. Although businesses are represented, the idea behind the expo is non-commercial and the emphasis is on showing off cool projects and technology rather than trying to make sales.
A lot of companies took the opportunity to showcase their use of Linux and other open source software and services catered to the open source community.
FiberCloud, a Class A data center in Bellingham was one of the many local tech companies attending Linuxfest. "What a great opportunity it was to let tech professionals from throughout the Northwest know about the incredible technology resources and talent we have here in Whatcom County. Linuxfest definitely puts Bellingham on the map," notes Fred Miller of FiberCloud.
The 1000+ attendees and 40 exhibitors consisting of hobbyists, demo exhibits and commercial displays crowded the Bellingham Technical College's show room, which normally serves as a cafeteria.
Presentations and lectures ran continuously in six other rooms throughout the day. Highlighted speakers include Rasmus Lerdorf, creator of the PHP scripting language, Chuck Gray, IBM's Senior Linux strategist and Tim Whitham from the Open Source Development Labs.
Linux and open source software is gaining in popularity worldwide and the increasing popularity of the annual Linuxfest Northwest event shows that this trend is also true for the Pacific Northwest.
The event was organized by Linux User Groups from Bellingham, Seattle, Tacoma, Kitsap Peninsula and Vancouver and Victoria, B.C. The event was generously hosted by the Bellingham Technical College.
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