Much of the coverage in the mainstream press served to reinforce this perception. Linux was a passing fad. Everything about this conference, from its long sold-out exhibit space to the incredible pile of commercial announcements, has told the wider world in a language it understands that Linux and free software are here to stay. The Linux stock shakeout did not even slightly slow their momentum. After all, free software never had anything to do with stock prices.
Free software is about freedom.
And the advantages of freedom are compelling. Free software is the future, and LinuxWorld is helping to make that clear. LWN's coverage from the conference so far includes a report from Michael Dell's keynote , and a summary of the Debian press conference . More to come. Linux-based palmtops are here .