Sun sponsoring Linux.conf.au 2003 regional delegate program

NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


Linux.conf.au 2003 announces Sun Microsystems(tm) Regional Delegate Program


Perth, Western Australia (October 16, 2002) - Linux.conf.au 2003 is pleased to
announce that Sun Microsystems will sponsor the Linux.conf.au 2003 Regional
Delegate Program, to assist deserving people across Australia to attend
Linux.conf.au in January 2003.

The Linux.conf.au 2003 Sun Microsystems Regional Delegate Program is an
initiative of Linux.conf.au to help extend the reach of the conference to all
parts of the country.

As part of its ongoing support of the Linux movement, Sun Microsystems will
sponsor one delegate from every Australian state and territory to attend the
Linux.conf.au 2003 in Perth.  Under the Sun(tm) sponsorship package, the
chosen delegate will receive a full Professional Registration for the
conference (including a ticket to the Conference Dinner) and free travel[1]
and accommodation[2] for the duration of the conference.

"Sun is delighted to be able to support innovation among the Australian Linux
community.  Our commitment to open source is no secret.  Sun has contributed
over 8 millions of lines of code to the open source community over the years,
and continues to release new technologies that support Linux developers and
users," said Duncan Bennet, Director, Linux Products, Sun Microsystems
Australia.

Addressing LinuxWorld in August this year, Scott McNealy, President, Chairman
and CEO of Sun Microsystems, Inc. announced the company would provide more
Linux code, LSB compliance, continued investment, additional engineering
resources and ongoing support for the open source community overall.

"Watch out for more contributions to the Linux movement from Sun in coming 
months," Bennet said.

The Linux.conf.au 2003 Sun Microsystems Regional Delegate Program is being run
by each state and territory, and administered by the relevant regional Linux
User Group (LUG). Potential applicants should contact the selected user group
in their state or territory for more information. For more information, please
visit http://www.linux.conf.au/rdp.html

Winning delegates will be announced on December 7, 2002 on the Linux.conf.au
2003 web site (http://www.linux.conf.au/) and will be notified by email.

"We would like to thank Sun Microsystems for their support of Linux.conf.au
2003. With the help of leading vendors such as Sun, User Groups like HUMBUG can
provide real assistance to Australia developers and users and advance the Linux
operating system.", said Clinton Roy, Vice-President HUMBUG (Home Unix Machine
Brisbane User Group)


[1] Travel from the closest major airport.
[2] Accomodation for 7 nights in Currie Hall at the University of Western 
    Australia.


* About Perth Linux Users' Group Inc.
-------------------------------------

PLUG is a non-profit association for the Linux and Open Source community and
aims to promote and assist this community through fortnightly seminars and
workshops providing the opportunity to connect face-to-face with industry
speakers and other Linux users. In addition to the free email discussion list,
PLUG provides news, technical support, resources and forums on the web site
(http://www.plug.linux.org.au).


* About Sun Microsystems, Inc.
-----------------------------

Since its inception in 1982, a singular vision -- "The Network Is The
Computer(tm)" -- has propelled Sun Microsystems, Inc. (Nasdaq:SUNW) to its
position as a leading provider of industrial-strength hardware, software and
services that make the Net work. Sun can be found in more than 170 countries
and on the World Wide Web at http://sun.com.au



* About Linux.conf.au
---------------------

Linux.conf.au is a national 'roaming' conference under the auspices of Linux
Australia Inc (http://www.linux.org.au/). Its original incarnation was under
the name "Conference of Australian Linux Users" (CALU), held in Melbourne at
Monash University in 1999. In January 2001 it was renamed to "Linux.conf.au",
and held in Sydney at the University of New South Wales under the direction of
the Sydney Linux User Group (SLUG). In February 2002 it was held in Brisbane
at the University of Queensland under the direction of the Home Unix Machine
Brisbane User Group (HUMBUG).

LCA has a very high standing in the international community for having a very
technically focused, yet relaxed conference schedule. All presenters are
selected from the community are of the highest calibre.



* About Linux
-------------

Linux is a core part of a modern multi-user computer operating system
developed by a world-wide network of enthusiasts and professionals, and is
available for free under the terms of the GNU General Public License (GPL).
This license is special in that it specifically permits the end user access to
the underlying source code that creates the Linux kernel, and permits them
rights to modify it and redistribute it. The GPL is available from the Free
Software Foundation (http://www.fsf.org). It is this model of license that
leads to a "peer review" model of software development, since no part of the
program remains undisclosed to any interested party.

Many organisations including IBM, Hewlett-Packard, Dell Computer and Sun
Microsystems are adopting Linux kernel based operating systems for a variety of
tasks, from network servers to personal desktop machines and palm-sized
devices.

The Linux kernel, in combination with a large selection of "user space" tools
and utility programs are combined to create complete computer operating
systems, for example, Debian, Red Hat, SuSE, and MandrakeSoft.

As well as operating on commodity Intel based personal computers, Linux also
runs on a number of other types of computers, such as large mainframes and
commercial network servers, down to pocket organisers and wrist watches.

More information on Linux is available from http://www.linux.com/.

Linux(R) is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds.  
Other trademarks are property of their respective owners.

Sun, Sun Microsystems, the Sun logo are trademarks or registered
trademarks in the United States and in other countries.


MEDIA RELEASE CONTACTS:
Perth Linux Users' Group Inc
James Bromberger
+61 417 772 286 (GMT +0800)
james@rcpt.to

Linux Australia Inc
Anand Kumria
akumria@linux.org.au

Sun Microsystems Australia
Catherine Vissiere
+61 2 9844 5278
catherine.vissiere@sun.com

PUBLICITY CONTACT:
LCA 2003, Perth Linux Users' Group Inc
Bernard Blackham
+61 402 291 684 (GMT +0800)
b-la@blackham.com.au 


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