Some Info:: Re: [ale] Reviving the ALS

[Marc Torres]

Mark,

On Tue, Aug 12, 2003 at 03:20:59PM -0400, Mark Angeli wrote:
> Ok, so in order to talk about it, what would it take in order to revive the
> Atlanta Linux Showcase?
> 
> We could always start small and build it back up.

For the record :-)

The "Atlanta Linux Showcase" had a 5 year run that educated and entertained 
roughly 12,000 people from over 40 countries.  The momentum of the Linux 
movement and the hard work of many (Volunteers, Vendors, Speakers, etc) helped
to carry ALS from 500 to 4000 attendees in 3 years! 

Then in early 2002 we decided to take down the tent.

There are alot of reasons- a few of the top ones:
  - Economic climate
    Many of the companies that supported the event no longer exist and
    the ones that remain offered no financial support
  - Exhaustion of key players
    Not just the ALS core staff, but many of the top Linux talent
    had spent the bulk of 98-2001 continuously on the road.  There
    was little interest in additional/future events.
  - Jobs, jobs, jobs.  Lots pf people are afraid to take time off 
    of work to attend, many speakers employers are not longer tolerant
    of absences and work time spent on building quality presentations.
  - Honoring what was accomplished.
    I'm sure this sounds funny to many- but I was just at Linuxworld
    Conference and Expo in San Francisco and stopped several people 
    who were wearing ALS 97 and LinuxExpo NC 97 T-shirts.  I recently
    received an email begging for a 98 shirt- there is a fond memory
    of the unique environment that was 97-01 in the Linux/OpenSource
    world and it has passed.  ALS had lots and lots of "moving parts"
    that came together to form a very special whole-  many of us who 
    planned it don't feel its possible to match that standard today.
  - The Ottawa Linux Symposium   http://www.linuxsymposium.org/2003/
    This fine event embodies much of the original vision of ALS,
    with the exception of it being in Canada :-)  But that is one of
    its advantages, do to the political climate surrounding the DMCA,
    and other legislation many international coders refuse to visit 
    the US.  So OLS provides the environment necessary for the Kernel
    Summit and quality OSS developer interaction to go on.
  - The O'Reilly Open Source Convention covers most of the other bases

So we have retired the Atlanta Linux Showcase (the trademarked name and
the corporation formed to run the event), to its status as a footnote
in history- and a warm spot in the hearts and minds of those who attended.

One of these days we will finish a more eloquent way of stating the above,
and get it up on the website..but there it is.
    
I welcome anyone to put forth the effort to create a new tradition in the 
Linux/OpenSource community, and we ask that your first step in that 
process is to choose a new name. 

Thank you and best of luck,
Marc Torres
President 1999-2002
marct at linuxshowcase.org   

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