[PLUG] Wharton Technology Conference 2004 (incld Open Source panel)

The Wharton Technology Conference annually brings together CXOs, IT professionals, and both business and computer science students to discuss emerging technologies and how they enable business. Last year's conference was a tremendous success, with over 35 panelists from companies such as Microsoft, Intel, IBM, and Amazon.com. Also, the conference had over 700 attendees, of which over 300 were IT professionals.

This year, we expect even greater attendance and have confirmed as keynote speakers the SVP of Strategy at IBM,the CEO of SAP America, and the SVP of IT at Pfizer. The 9 panels cover numerous IT topics, including web services, storage, wireless, open source, offshore outsourcing, and technology venture capital. Additionally, a featured moderator is Nicholas Carr, the former editor of the Harvard Business Review who wrote the highly controversial article “IT Doesn’t Matter.” More information on the conference is available at: http://www.whartontechconference.com/

Most importantly for PLUG members, this year's conference includes a panel on Open Source. A summary of the panel is detailed below:

Open Source
“Delivering Value and Innovation Using Open Source Software”

This panel will explore the world of open-source software with an emphasis on the latest trends including the growing adoption of Linux in the corporate world. It will investigate the value proposition provided by open source innovations to corporate information systems. The panel will finally provide a peek into the major growth areas for open-source software including innovations on the desktop and in consumer and personal devices.

Panelists

Kevin Bedell (Moderator), Editor-in-chief, Linux World
Daniel Frye, Director, IBM Linux Technology Center
Stormy Peters, Director of Open Source, HP
Jason Matusow, Manager, Shared Source Initiative, Microsoft
Mike Olson, CEO, Sleepycat Software

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