The Linux Foundation Announces LinuxCon North America Keynote Speakers and 20th Anniversary Gala

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS

Top mobile and enterprise Linux executives lead keynote agenda: Red Hat CEO Jim Whitehurst to address enterprise Linux at 20 years and HP Chief Technology Officer Phil McKinney to discuss WebOS

Internet and society author Clay Shirky will illustrate how collaboration is shaping today’s global culture

LinuxCon Gala to mark official 20th Anniversary of Linux celebration and gather an unprecedented who’s who of Linux’ past, present and future

SAN FRANCISCO, April 14, 2011 – The Linux Foundation, the nonprofit organization dedicated to accelerating the growth of Linux, today announced its keynote speakers for North America’s premier annual conference LinuxCon, taking place in Vancouver, B.C. August 17-19, 2011.

The LinuxCon keynote lineup reflects major trends in the Linux market, from Linux in the enterprise and mobile computing, to its impact on today’s society and culture. The following keynote speakers have been confirmed:

* Mark Charlebois, Director of Open Source Strategy at Qualcomm Innovation Center (QuIC), will discuss the role of Linux in mobile development and innovation.

* Phil McKinney, Vice President and Chief Technology Officer at HP, will elaborate on the company’s WebOS platform strategy.

* Marten Mickos, Chief Executive Officer at Eucalyptus Systems and former CEO of MySQL, is a recognized enterprise software entrepreneur and investor with a keen understanding of Linux and open source software. Mickos will discuss the changing enterprise Linux landscape, specifically as it relates to cloud computing.

* Ubuntu’s Technical Architect Allison Randal will share how the vibrant Ubuntu community and development team are turning the vision for Linux into reality. Randal has more than 25 years of experience as a programmer and was the chief architect and lead developer on the open source project Parrot for many years.

* Clay Shirky is an award-winning author and expert on how technology shapes culture. Also a New York University Professor on Internet and Society whose recent book releases include “Cognitive Surplus: How Technology Makes Consumers into Collaborators” and “Here Comes Everybody: The Power of Organizing Without Organizations,” Shirky will discuss how collaboration is impacting today’s culture.

* More than 10 years after being the first Linux company to go public and as we approach the 20-year anniversary of Linux, Red Hat CEO Jim Whitehurst will detail the biggest challenges we still face and what the next 20 years looks like.

The Call for Participation (CFP) deadline for LinuxCon is April 22, 2011. The Linux Foundation encourages all would-be speakers to submit a talk on technical, business or legal developments impacting Linux. To submit a proposal and be a part of this year’s historic event, please visit: http://events.linuxfoundation.org/events/linuxcon/cfp. Additional details, speakers and sessions will be announced after all proposals have been received. The event this year will also be co-located with the KVM Forum, as well as other community mini-summits.

Registration is U.S. $500 through July 8, 2011. To register, please visit: http://events.linuxfoundation.org/events/linuxcon/register.

LinuxCon Gala to Mark Formal Celebration of 20th Anniversary of Linux

The Linux Foundation today is also announcing additional details about the LinuxCon Gala, which will celebrate 20 years of Linux at the Commodore Ballroom in Vancouver.

The LinuxCon Gala will take place the evening of August 17, 2011 and will celebrate the 20th Anniversary of Linux with a “Roaring 20s” theme. The Linux Foundation is assembling an unprecedented lineup of key personalities to represent Linux’ past, present and future and will host a unique ceremony with special presentations of awards. The event will include a live band, casino, full dinner and open bar. Penguin suits (tuxedos) and “flapper” dresses will be available to rent onsite. For more information about the LinuxCon Gala, please visit: http://events.linuxfoundation.org/events/linuxcon/social.

The winner of this year’s Linux Foundation Video Contest will also be revealed at LinuxCon. The contest is focused on the 20th Anniversary of Linux and is being judged by Linux creator Linus Torvalds. For more information and to submit your video, please visit: http://video.linux.com/20th-anniversary-video-contest. The Linux Foundation also produced the following “Story of Linux” video to help inspire submissions: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ocq6_3-nEw.

The 20th Anniversary Video Booth, which is traveling to Linux Foundation events throughout year, will also be onsite for attendees to record personal messages to the rest of the community about Linux’ past, present and future.

LinuxCon, which has sold out every year since its debut, is the world’s leading conference addressing all matters Linux for the global business and technical communities. The LinuxCon schedule includes in-depth technical content for developers and operations personnel, as well as business and legal insight from the industry’s leaders. The networking, problem-solving and deal-making opportunities at LinuxCon are unmatched for those involved in enterprise, desktop or mobile Linux.

For more information, please visit the LinuxCon website.

About The Linux Foundation
The Linux Foundation is a nonprofit consortium dedicated to fostering the growth of Linux. Founded in 2000, the organization sponsors the work of Linux creator Linus Torvalds and promotes, protects and advances the Linux operating system by marshaling the resources of its members and the open source development community. The Linux Foundation provides a neutral forum for collaboration and education by hosting Linux conferences, including LinuxCon, and generating original Linux research and content that advances the understanding of the Linux platform. Its web properties, including Linux.com, reach approximately two million people per month. The organization also provides extensive Linux training opportunities that feature the Linux kernel community’s leading experts as instructors. Follow The Linux Foundation on Twitter.

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Trademarks: The Linux Foundation, Linux Standard Base , MeeGo and the Yocto Project are trademarks of The Linux Foundation. Linux is a trademark of Linus Torvalds.