Looking for Linux: InterOp Las Vegas

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This week I'll be at InterOp Las Vegas looking for the latest and coolest Linux-based technologies that InterOp exhibitors have to offer. My favorites are certainly the "new innovators." New innovators are small companies who've developed their own products and are trying to get noticed in the high-tech space. These are the best and most enjoyable people to talk to at such shows.

You'll benefit from the trip indirectly through this blog since I'll be reporting on who and what I find there.

What I'm looking for specifically are companies whose founders are:

1. - Dedicated to the Open Source Model.

2. - Using Linux in creative ways.

3. - Actively developing products that make your life easier and using Open Source software to do it.

Sounds pretty simple, right?

While there, I'll be walking around doing one-on-one interviews with these people at the show. If you have questions, look at the list of exhibitors, us the comments section below and I'll ask your questions and post the answers here. Please also look at the speaker list to see if there are any interviews you'd be interested in while I'm there.

As a side note, since I am an official member of the media, I'll be interviewed live on techweb for a "meet the press" show.

My main thrust is to gather info for blogging here, and to meet with the industry's top executives and rainmakers.

Interop drives the adoption of technology, providing knowledge and insight to help IT and corporate decision-makers achieve business success. Part of TechWeb's family of global brands, Interop is the leading business technology event series. Through in-depth educational programs, workshops, real-world demonstrations and live technology implementations in its unique Interop Net program, Interop provides the forum for the most powerful innovations and solutions the industry has to offer. For more information about these events visit www.interop.com.

I'm also doing live broadcasts and interviews at the show. Go to The site to get times and subjects.

Write back and let me know what you'd like to hear about from the show in the form of interviews, products and new innovations. Hurry, since I'm only there on Tuesday May 19 and Wednesday May 20!

Dani AI

Generated

Practical, hands-on checklist for spotting real Linux / open‑source offerings at Interop‑style shows (followed by quick verification steps). The thread was started by to highlight smaller “new innovator” vendors and later revisited by with questions about later events; the guidance below helps evaluate claims made on a noisy show floor and after the show.

  • Demand evidence of source availability and an explicit license. Public repo links, LICENSE files, and a visible contribution policy are the clearest signals that a product is genuinely open.
  • Ask whether the demo runs on commodity hardware or in a container/VM you can reproduce. If the demo is cloud‑only or demo‑scripted, expect extra integration work.
  • Clarify what is open‑source versus paid extensions (open‑core patterns are common). Request written statements on support, maintenance windows, and upgrade paths.
  • Verify packaging and distro support (Deb/RPM/container images) and whether upstream projects are used or forked. That affects long‑term ops effort.
  • Get technical references and an architecture sketch; avoid decisions based solely on marketing slides.

Post‑show verification (quick, practical steps):

  • Inspect public repositories for recent commits, number of distinct contributors, issue backlog and resolution cadence.
  • Install in an isolated VM/container and run basic integration checks against the real stack; reproduction beats promises.
  • Check the vendor’s security posture: dependency/CVE handling, published advisories, and stated SLAs.
  • Ask for at least one customer reference with a similar scale and use case.

Note: small innovators often move fast but can pivot or disappear—prioritize project activity and community contribution over slick demos. For historic or future Interop exhibitor lists, consult the event’s exhibitor/speaker directories and post‑show recaps, then cross‑check vendor claims against public repos and third‑party writeups before proceeding.

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Grant_3 0 Newbie Poster

Are you going to Interop 2014? What exhibitors bring linux/open source products to Interop?

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