COMDEX 2000	Volume 4 Number 8 Nov. 19, 2000	RealAudio

by Scott Tilley

A quick 3 hour and 15 minute dash across the Mojave desert and it's Las Vegas, home to gambling, conventions, and COMDEX. In fact, COMDEX is a weird mix of gambling (for the vendors) and convention (for the attendees and the media) that creates a unique event of interest to geeks everywhere. There was no obvious "killer app" at COMDEX 2000, but in the sprawling Las Vegas Convention Center, one theme came across loud and clear: net-centric computing is here.

What takes up over 1,000,000 square feet of exhibition space, attracts over 200,000 people (including 3,600 members of the media), and 2,300 vendors? COMDEX of course. This year's event was so big that it spilled out of the Las Vegas Convention Center into the Sands, the MGM, and the Riviera hotels. After walking for over 8 hours through crowds full of walking Sony robots and dancing ViewSonic parrots, my feet were sending me a clear message: take a break!

Net-Centric Computing

Perhaps befitting what I perceive to be the theme of COMDEX 2000, everyone was carrying plastic bags emblazoned with Microsoft .NET logos. Networking was everywhere at this year's event. Indeed, I think the theme of net-centric computing pervaded the entire show. 

Larry Ellison of Oracle gave a keynote address on Monday night that focused on network appliances. Mr. Ellison has been a strong proponent of net-centric computing since 1996. This year his message was a little different: the shift was away from the client and to the server. The recent announcement of the Oracle 9i Application Server Appliance is an example of Oracle's current focus and future plans. 

The idea is to provide a pre-configured, pre-tested, and unalterable computing platform that "just works." Similar to a regular appliance that everyone is familiar with, such as a refrigerator, the vision is for a database server or an application server to function flawlessly. To do this, Oracle will pre-load the system with only approved hardware and software, components that they have tested and are confident will work well together. Unlike the supremely malleable PC, the end-user cannot change the appliance's configuration. An interesting idea, but reminiscent of IBM's old philosophy of single-source vending. Nevertheless, Mr. Ellison had the best quote of COMDEX: "They [customers] can still buy unreliable components from other vendors." Ouch!

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Mobile Computing

Net-centric computing was the theme at COMDEX 2000, but who said anything about wires being needed? Wireless applications and new wireless gadgets were everywhere. Palm Computing had a huge area for its broad product line. It also had many smaller booths for its business partners, who were demonstrating add-ons to the Palm, such as cameras, voice recorders, and broadband content viewers.

I was particularly intrigued by one application that lets you read books on your Palm.  The company representative claimed to have read over 300 books on his Palm, and now would do his reading on nothing else. Personally, I still find the screen too small to comfortably read even one entire novel. The price for the e-book wasn't very attractive either, just 30% less than the price of the hardcover edition.

There was an area dedicated to BlueTooth, the "personal area network" technology that promises to connect devices in your office together without all those messy wires. The products on display were mainly prototypes; precious few items are actually available for consumers at the moment. If BlueTooth does become popular, I for one will welcome the reduction in cable clutter and the convenience of wireless connectivity. 

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Computer Security

If net-centric computing has an Achilles Heel, it might well be security. It's bad enough that regular PCs are increasingly threatened by viruses and rogue components. Networked computers also have to deal with security issues related to their connections to one another and to the Internet.

Meganet Corp. was handing out free copies of their "VME (Virtual Matrix Encryption) 2000" software that claims to have "unbreakable encryption." Whenever I hear phrases like this, I immediately become skeptical. As anyone should know, there is no such thing as unbreakable encryption. VME had huge banners proclaiming 1 million bit keys. That's nice, but it's not the real problem in computer security. A future issue of SIGPC will discuss this matter in more detail.

To give you an idea of how prevalent computer security was at COMDEX 2000, McAfee & Associates had a huge blimp floating high in the sky over the Las Vegas strip. It certainly attracted lots of attention. But whether or not the average user will practice safe computing, net-centric or otherwise, remains an open question. 

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Final Comments and Photos

This was the second COMDEX I've attended. Last year I said it was worth attending, and I still think it is an event that is worth the trip to Las Vegas. The crowds can get tiring very fast, but the opportunity to experience so much new technology in so short a time is unique to COMDEX. Due to a lack of time, I still didn't get to attend the tutorials or co-located events, such as the Linux Business Expo. Maybe next year.

Click on the thumb-nail image to see the full-size picture.

	After 8+ hours of battling crowds, robots, and parrots, it's time for a caffeine break and 40 winks. Considering how many people are there, there is a dearth of food and beverages available in the main exhibit halls at COMDEX.  There's also a shortage of good resting places; I'm snoozing just outside the South Exhibit Hall. (640x480; 95KB)
	This is the Sony Aibo (V2). It will cost $1,500 when it goes on the market. It's actually quite a spooky experience interacting with this robotic dog/cat. It reacts to movement, tries to crawl up your arm, and has a camera in its head that can transmit images via wireless LAN to a PC, capturing the Aibo's "daily journal." (640x480; 111KB)
	Larry Ellison, Chairman and CEO of Oracle Corp., at a press briefing. He was extolling the virtues of network appliances, such as the Oracle 9i Application Server Appliance. He also had his usual barbs for Microsoft, particularly for PC-based bloatware. (640x480; 78KB)
	The Las Vegas Convention Center. Last year, parking was available right outside the entrance. This year, parking space was replaced by overflow registration tents. Parking anywhere near the Center during COMDEX is a real challenge; the alternative is to queue for buses to hotels or wait 45+ minutes for a taxi. (640x480; 79KB)
	A sample of the crowds at COMDEX. Geeks are cheek to cheek all over the Convention Center and out onto the Las Vegas streets. The sheer number of cell phones overloaded the telephone network several times. Hotels are booked solid, and raise their prices to whatever the market will bear. (640x480; 122KB)
	COMDEX attendees availing themselves of free Microsoft training. The Microsoft pavilion was huge, holding more than 250 business partners. Training companies were abundant. Computers aren't getting any easier to use; sadly, they're getting more complicated.  (640x480; 104KB)