Bostonians have reason to celebrate these days, as their beloved Red Sox are having a winning season in the home stretch of the American League playoffs--a truly historic moment for Red Sox fans as the team edges toward the World Series. Boston, a city full of historic firsts, is about to make history again, this time in the world of open-source computing.

The Desktop Linux Consortium (DLC) has organized the first conference devoted exclusively to the Linux desktop. This one-day Desktop Linux Conference is unlike any other IT conference you have attended. DLC has assembled a stable of open-source experts to meet and discuss key technologies, how they work and the current issue on everyone's minds: Is there an alternative choice in desktop computing that offers compatibility with open standards and a fair licensing policy? Sponsored by Boston University's Corporate Education Center and the DLC, the event will be held on November 10 at Boston U's Tyngsboro campus facility.

The Desktop Linux Conference aims to drive home the message that for the first time in computing history, a legitimate desktop alternative is available that is better, faster and cheaper. As an extension of the newly formed Desktop Linux Consortium's mission of providing "wide scale understanding and adoption of the Linux operating system and its applications for use on the desktop", the program offers key champions of Linux: Bruce Perens, Nat Friedman, Jeremy White, Sam Greenblatt, Mark Hinkle, Mark Westerman, Havoc Pennington, Amy D. Wohl, Shuji Sado and many more.

The conference will provide the computing public with an overview of the state of the Linux desktop, where we are today and where we are going. Kicking off with a keynote presentation titled "Open for Business", by Bruce Perens, a Linux advocate and the executive director of the DLC, the Desktop Linux Conference will feature talks from team leaders in the Open Source community that represent core technologies and applications, notably American Microsystems (AML), Codeweavers, Computer Associates, FreeDesktop.org, GNOME, George Washington University's CyberPolicy Institute, GovernmentForge, Linux Professional Institute, Linux Terminal Server Project, NeTraverse, Open Source Software Institute, PCs for Everyone, Prentice Hall, Red Hat, Samba.org, SuSE, SE Linux, VA Linux Systems, Japan OSDN, Xandros and Ximian.

The DLC Conference will offer three tracks as well as panel discussions that focus on key trends and issues in the industry. The tracks and panels will instruct CIOs and IT managers in the issues that should be considered when deploying Linux in business today.

Speaker topics include: "Linux--Open for Business", "Components for the Enterprise Linux Desktop", "Deploying the Linux Desktop in the Enterprise: Practical Considerations", "Linux Gains Momentum Worldwide: Focus on Asia", "How Educational Standards Offer Pathways to Desktop Linux and Corporate Success" and "Linux in Government". Security, legislation and how Linux is emerging as a standard worldwide all will be discussed. In a special presentation, Dr. Martin Echt will share the story of how his Albany-based medical organization moved to Linux using low-cost thin clients and system integration from Lilliecare.

As a bonus, BUSEC and LinuxCertified will offer conference attendees a discounted four-day Linux boot camp following the event. The program kicks off a partnership between LinuxCertified and BUCEC to provide Linux education to IT and business professionals in the Boston area. For in-depth information about the Desktop Linux Conference and to register, please go to the DLC Web site or call 1-800-BU-TRAIN (800-288-7246).