The Evolution of Linux documentary team and LinuxNews.com present an online wrapup of the first two days of the LinuxWorld Expo in New York.

Selling Linux is a lot like selling bottled water, SGI's product group senior veep John "Beau" Vrolyk told LinuxWorld attendees last week. Tap water is free -- or at the very least, low cost -- yet the bottled water industry enjoys a booming business. New York City tap water doesn't taste appreciably different from bottled water, but people keep buying Evian.

Ten years from now, what will historians say about the impact of Windows 2000? Will this huge operating system initiative be seen as yet another great Microsoft and Intel triumph, completing the expansion of Wintel from the desktop into the highest echelons of corporate computing?

I suppose the magnitude of this LinuxWorld has to stagger anyone who's followed these events. The large number of exhibitors and participants makes this the largest event in Linux history. Companies who by-passed the main Comdex exhibition hall (Compaq, IBM, Dell, etc.)came in force to Linux World.

How can "scruffy hackers in sandals" win over suit-wearing executives on the concept of free software? Open-source guru Eric Raymond’s seminar on "successful advocacy and media manipulation" offered to help purveyors of Linux convert corporate decision makers.

Corel Thursday launched a services program to help a business implement and integrate its Linux offerings.

Despite all the extraordinary announcements, the rousing speeches about the "Evolution of Linux," and the upbeat feeling on the main show floor, there is a definite undercurrent of fear and loathing at LinuxWorld 2000.

Linux is expected to play an increasing role in e-commerce as the computer operating system becomes stronger and more sophisticated, vendors said Thursday.

The project to bring Linux to IBM's multimillion-dollar mainframe computers began the same way as many other Linux projects: A collection of enthusiasts simply wanted to see if it could be done.

Sun Microsystems Inc. is making another cautious move into the Linux market at the LinuxWorld show this week, with the announcement that Bell Microproducts in San Jose will start shipping Linux servers based on Sun-manufactured motherboards.