November 8, 2001: Embedded Linux wins over Windows in weapons tracking research.

November 1, 2001: Review of LINUX OS shows gap with Unix narrowing.

October 11, 2001: LINUX conference to offer free registration.

October 2, 2001: ALS program expands with inclusion of XFREE86 Technical Conference.

For more information contact:
Monica Ortiz, Monica@usenix.org, 415-990-5513

EMBEDDED LINUX WINS OVER WINDOWS IN WEAPONS TRACKING RESEARCH

Berkeley, CA -- November 8, 2001 -- Researchers and scientists at Quantum Magnetics say the flexibility of the Linux operating system provided a greater benefit than Windows during the development and testing of a new concealed weapons tracking system. Their research is being presented this week at the 5th Annual Linux Showcase & Conference in Oakland, California.

"Linux offers extremely fast boot, relative immunity to power interruption, is scalable from embedded devices to scientific workstations, has a more reliable serial port driver, and copes very well with running on older and smaller computers," said Alexander R. Perry, Quantum Magnetics Developer. "These features give it the ability to reduce cost by permitting the continued usage of older systems."

"This research presents a use of the Linux operating system in a way not traditionally thought of and discusses its practical advantages," said Bryan Andregg, ALS 2001 Program Chair. "This presentation is perfect for our conference program because it touches on a real world problem and provides a valuable, realistic solution."

The weapons tracking system runs on a 24x7 schedule, utilizes the Debian GNU/Linux OS and standard user interfaces to receive data from mounted cameras and sensors and approximate the location of a concealed weapon. The system gives security personnel enough information to focus searches on specific locations or even parts of the body, reducing search time by at least 50 percent. Data is collected by video and converted to a sequence of target coordinates on a computer screen, tracking a potential weapon at a speed of 30 frames per second using the smoother Linux interface. Although much of the data collected is subject to interpretation or deduction by security personnel, it provides enough information to understand what kind of weapon they are facing and minimizes the chances of being attacked.

"If you drive down the road at night and see really bright lights coming the other way, you haven't actually measured where the car is but have no trouble knowing enough about its position to dodge," said Perry. "In the same way, we don't directly measure the position of the weapon but the signature from the sensor suffices to know where it is."

The system has been successfully beta tested by users. Previous designs were independently tested at the National Safe Skies Alliance in Knoxville, Tennessee as well as added to the FAA's list of approved technologies. Already recognized as the most significant development in metal detection technology, the system is applicable beyond airports and government offices, into banking institutions, corporate offices, medical facilities, and other organizations concerned about 24x7 access to their locations.

"This research shows that Linux can be used for real world applications outside of web servers and parallel machines," said Andregg. "The wider adoption of Linux for these kinds of solutions provides a greater financial and technical benefit."

The research is being presented on Friday, November 9, 2001 at ALS 2001 in the Oakland Marriott City Center, Oakland, California. Registration for technical sessions is currently open to the public and available on-site. A detailed program is available online at www.linuxshowcase.org. For more information about Quantum Magnetics, log onto their web site at www.qm.com.

For more information contact:
Monica Ortiz, 415-990-5513

REVIEW OF LINUX OS SHOWS GAP WITH UNIX NARROWING

Berkeley, CA -- November 1, 2001 -- Linux operating system scalability and robustness are quickly catching up to the conventional UNIX systems according to a recent study being presented next week at the Annual Linux Showcase & Conference (ALS 2001) in Oakland, California.

The Linux Function Review, published in late September by leading technology assessment firm D. H. Brown Associates (DHBA), shows that the strongest of Linux distributions have surpassed the weakest UNIX systems in scalability and robustness. Although UNIX operating systems remain the standard for enterprise level computing systems, Linux distributions do not fall far behind as they increase the capability of their bundled network infrastructure software and improve directory and security services.

"In previous evaluations, Linux made a good fit with certain key applications such as entry file-and-print sharing or web servers," said Tony Iams, DHBA Vice President of Systems Software Research, who is presented the findings at ALS 2001. "The growth of its functional capabilities, based on the 2.4 kernel, expand the range of suitable deployment to include a broad range of departmental and workgroup applications."

The evaluation utilized over a hundred functional categories to compare five major commercial Linux distributions -- Caldera eServer 3.1, Debian GNU/Linux 2.2, Red Hat Linux 7.1, SuSE Linux 7.2, and TurboLinux Server 6.5 -- against Caldera UnixWare 7.1, Compaq Tru64 UNIX 5.1, IBM AIX 5L v5.1, Hewlett-Packard HP-UX 11I, and Sun Solaris 8.

"D. H. Brown is a technical analyst firm of the highest reputation and competence. They have developed a model for operating system analysis that is without peer and Tony (Iams) is their expert on UNIX and Linux operating systems," said Jon "maddog" Hall, USENIX Director and ALS 2001 Invited Talks Program Chair. "By exposing both the strong and weak parts of Linux as compared to commercial systems, developers become aware of which parts of Linux they need to improve and how much the user community values the planned enhancements."

The review is a match with the conference's objective of providing Linux professionals with a highly technical and cogent research sought after by leading computer companies.

"Technical, accurate, unbiased information is vital in deciding whether Linux is capable of supporting the type of computing that companies are currently doing with more expensive, proprietary, and closed-source UNIX system," said Hall. "These are exactly the kind of studies, from exactly the kind of analyst company, that companies like Sun, Compaq, and IBM drive future engineering plans. Presenting this kind of research is what ALS was formed for."

"A Competitive Assessment of Linux in the Enterprise" will be presented by Tony Iams on Friday, November 9, 2001 at the Oakland Marriott Hotel. Registration for ALS 2001 is free of charge and available on-site starting Monday, November 5, 2001. A full conference program is available online at www.linuxshowcase.org.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
MONICA ORTIZ
USENIX PR
monica@usenix.org
415-990-5513

LINUX CONFERENCE TO OFFER FREE REGISTRATION

Berkeley, CA -- October 11, 2001 -- In response to an uncertain political climate and the recent economic downturn, the USENIX Association and the Atlanta Linux Showcase, Inc. jointly announced today that they will offer free registration to everyone wishing to attend technical sessions at next month's Annual Linux Showcase & Conference in Oakland, California.

USENIX and ALS are making this unprecedented offer because they believe the networking opportunities and high-caliber technical content at this conference provide an important service to their membership and the general open source community.

The current political situation impacts a community already struggling due to the failure of many dot-com companies that used open source operating systems and open source techniques.

"We recognize this may only be a temporary readjustment until the 'brick and mortar' companies start using open source products to a greater degree. Therefore, we feel that it is crucial to provide current technical information to the community at this time," said Jon "maddog" Hall, USENIX Director and ALS Invited Talks Program Chair. "There are also several political issues facing the open source community right now such as DMCA, SSSCA, copyrights, and software patents. The ALS invited talks track reflects this and we felt that we could not put off these important discussions to a later time."

Such focus on the open source community is not new for ALS, which originated as a local Atlanta, Georgia event.

"ALS has historically been a community based show," said Marc Torres, ALS, Inc. President. "Since 1997, it has grown in scope and technical depth along with the open source community. It is a place for Linux developers to comfortably gather, compare notes, and create new ideas. ALS has always been where open source professionals can relax and discuss their projects and interests with their peers. We kept that community very firmly in mind during this decision process."

Hall agrees. "At ALS, people get to talk to the developers and visionaries of Open Source projects. For example, when was the last time that both of the originators of Beowulf were at the same conference?" Hall asked. "This conference is also important for making open source professionals aware of the issues, both political and technical, and to get them mobilized to address them. And to have fun."

"In tough economic times, it's even more important that the public has access to great software at minimal prices. It's even more important to come together to build open solutions that empower consumers and the little guys," said John Gilmore, USENIX Director. "In times when security testing is condemned by Congress as terrorism, its important that we look each other in the eye and remember that we are not the enemy. In times when the economic bubble has burst, its important that we reaffirm that we've been doing open source because it's good for the world, and because it's fun, and not because it was a shortcut to personal wealth."

USENIX, a 25-year old, non-profit association, sponsors conferences that serve the needs of their members and community in the long term rather than the short-term profit model demonstrated by the larger tradeshows.

"We chose the course that provides the most benefits to the community," said Gilmore. "Even in normal times, much of the Linux community work is done by widely distributed people, working alone in their homes, universities, or offices, communicating by email, IRC, and Web sites. We, the people who collectively keep pushing open source technologies, need opportunities for social interaction and one-on-one conversations with technical peers. We need places to meet each other and have a beer. Places to spend an afternoon arguing over the best directions to send our next three months of work."

The 5th Annual Linux Showcase and Conference
November 5-10, 2001
Oakland Marriott City Center
Oakland, California
www.linuxshowcase.org

About the USENIX Association

USENIX is the Advanced Computing Systems Association. For over 25 years, it has been the leading community for engineers, system administrators, scientists, and technician working on the cutting edge of the computing world. USENIX conferences are the essential meeting grounds for the presentation and discussion of technical advances in all aspects of computing systems. For more information about the USENIX Association, visit www.usenix.org

Press Registration: email your name, publication, title, street address, email, phone/fax, and URL to Monica Ortiz at monica@usenix.org.

ALS PROGRAM EXPANDS WITH INCLUSION OF XFREE86 TECHNICAL CONFERENCE

Berkeley, CA -- October 2, 2001 -- The 5th Annual Linux Showcase and Conference, which opens first week of November in Oakland, California, expands its program via a joint conference with XFree86. Already recognized as the heavyweight of technical Linux conferences, the inclusion of XFree86 rounds out an already impressive program.

"XFree86 has been running as a developers hot-house at ALS for the last two years," said XFree86 Program Chair Keith Packard. "We were delighted to be invited to share the Oakland Marriott with ALS as we have always found the ALS atmosphere and community to be supportive of our efforts."

XFree86 is already used in a wide variety of operating systems and has seen a surge in use within the Linux environment as Linux has grown within the mainstream computing industry. The XFree86 conference runs concurrently with ALS, providing opportunities to share current and upcoming projects within a community that typically works in isolation and without the interaction already enjoyed by Linux groups.

"This is a chance for us to present all aspects of Linux computing," said ALS Program Chair Bryan Andregg. "ALS has always offered a strong program with highly technical information for Linux developers. This conference is about the breadth and depth of technical knowledge a developer needs and that includes all the kernels, tools, and methods involved in running a Linux system."

The ALS Conference provides Linux professionals with intensive learning via three days of tutorials and 12 topic including Linux kernels, Samba Servers, Cryptography and Authentication, UNIX/Linux Network Administration, Perl, LDAP, Beowulf, KDE, GNOME, and XFree86 configuration. These classes are taught by Linux gurus including Ted Ts'o, Stephen Tweedie, Gerald Carter, and Phil Cox.

Three technical conference days also feature top Linux topics and presenters starting with Keynote Thomas Sterling of the California Institute of Technology and NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Paper presentations include Embedding Linux to Track Concealed Weapons, Managing Software Distributions, the MAGNeT Toolkit, New File I/O Benchmarks for Linux, Linux Clusters, Security issues, and a closing session on the use of Linux in Robotics today. The program also touches broader topics such as the Free Software Foundation's presentation on Software Freedom, SAGU: Open Source Unified Management for Educational Institutions, and Protecting Trademarks on Software in an Open Source Environment. Attendees are encouraged to discuss their projects in five minute presentations called Works-In-Progress, that have often spurred suggestions and new contacts from this active community.

The XFree86 conference also features three workshop classes and presentations by rising stars including Sivan Toledo and Lars Knoll, two top Qt developers; Jonathan Blandford's presentation on how GTK+ 2.0 will be portability and extensibility to this important toolkit; Alexander Guy's important work in Linux for handheld devices and embedded systems; and XFree86 keynote speaker Dirk Hohndel, CTO of SuSE Inc., who promises surprises in his presentation.

ALS is also recognized for its valuable evening events, particularly the attendee coordinated Birds-of-a-Feather sessions, wherein like minds gather around a topic of their choice. The conference also celebrates Linux's 10-year anniversary via a presentation of the history of Linux by USENIX Historian Peter Salus, and an attendee party sponsored by Linux Journal.

The 5th Annual Linux Showcase and Conference is sponsored by the USENIX Association and the Atlanta Linux Showcase, Inc., in cooperation with Linux International. Detailed program and registration information can be found online at www.linuxshowcase.org Press and analysts are invited to register for complimentary technical session passes by emailing Monica Ortiz at monica@usenix.org

The 5th Annual Linux Showcase and Conference
November 5-10, 2001
Oakland Marriott City Center
Oakland, California
www.linuxshowcase.org

About the USENIX Association

USENIX is the Advanced Computing Systems Association. For over 25 years, it has been the leading community for engineers, system administrators, scientists, and technician working on the cutting edge of the computing world. USENIX conferences are the essential meeting grounds for the presentation and discussion of technical advances in all aspects of computing systems. For more information about the USENIX Association, visit www.usenix.org