Gitex Questionnaire

GITEX Questionnaire

This is an E-mail from an official representative of GITEX:

"I am preparing news for GITEX Preview and Arabic GITEXTIMES, please take 5 minutes to get your answers to 8 questions to secure your coverage in the show's dailies and Gitex Preview.

The region's biggest technology exhibition and the third largest event of its kind in the world, GITEX Dubai, is kicking off earlier than ever this year, running from Sept 8 - 12.

GITEX's format has also changed this year, as outlined in the Trade Centre's enclosed Word.doc. The overall exhibition this time around is branded 'GITEX Technology Week' while its individual component parts include: GITEX Business Solutions, GULFCOMMS and Consumer Electronics Middle East (along with GITEX Shopper & Consumer Electronics Expo over at Dubai Airport Expo)."

Note: GITEX is oriented towards companies selling commercial ICT products and services. That slant is reflected in the type of questions asked in the questionnaire.

Please review these questions and answers and offer suggestions on how to better respond.

QUESTIONS

1. What does your company do?

The Fedora Project (www.fedoraproject.org) is a collection of projects sponsored by Red Hat (www.redhat.com) and developed as a partnership between the open source community and Red Hat engineers. The goal of Fedora is the rapid progress of free and open source software (FOSS) and content. Public forums. Open processes. Rapid innovation. Meritocracy and transparency. All in pursuit of the best operating system and platform that free software (http://www.fsf.org/licensing/essays/free-sw.html) can provide.

2. What are your company's key product lines and services?

Our key product is the Fedora Linux distribution. It comes out twice a year or so. It's completely free, and we're committed to keeping it that way. It's the best combination of robust and latest software that exists in the Free software world.

Our mindset is Doing the Right Thing. To us, that means providing Free and open source software, at no cost, freely usable, modifiable, redistributable, and unencumbered by software patents.

3. Why is your company appearing at Gitex Technology Week?

The Fedora Project is part of the free and open source (FOSS) movement, which is currently revolutionizing the way companies, large and small, do business using cutting-edge information technology. We want to encourage the use of FOSS products and approaches among the business community in the Middle East.

4. What products or services will your company be promoting at the show?

The Fedora 7 Linux distribution is our primary "product". A full-featured operating system and suite of applications, Fedora 7 is also the basis for the award-winning Red Hat Enterprise Linux, the One Laptop Per Child OS, and various other Linux-based systems. Our "services" are enabling businesses to apply Linux and other open source products, like Firefox web browser or OpenOffice.org office suite, to solve their IT challenges, by developing and distributing a world-class operating system and collection of Free software.

5. What does your company hope to achieve by appearing at Gitex Technology Week?

The Fedora Project hopes to promote the further adoption of Free and Open Source technologies in the enterprise business community in the Middle East.

6. How important is Gitex Technology Week to your company's success in the Middle East?

Gitex Technology Week is important to us because it gives us the opportunity to meet a very significant cross-section of businesses in the Middle East region.

7. How does your company feel about the Middle East market and the opportunities it presents?

The Fedora Project recognizes the tremendous growth of information and communications technologies (ICT) in the region. Free and open source software allow companies to optimize their IT expenditures and invest their budgets wisely. We also have a strong team focussed on internationalization (I18N) and localization (L10N) efforts to meet the needs of end users in this region.

8. What are your 3 strategic business objectives within the Arabian market for 2007?

1. To promote the adoption of Free, open source software and content in the Middle East region.

2. To promote greater awareness of all the options for implementing business solutions.

3. To encourage regional participation in the development of free and open source solutions.