OSDN to Host Open Source Database Summit

OSDN to Host Open Source Database Summit, October 30 and 31

ACTON, Mass. -- October 19, 2000 -- Open Source Development Network (OSDN.com), a division of VA Linux Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq: LNUX), today announced the launch of the OSDN Developer Services Program, which will kick off with an Open Source Database Summit on October 30 and 31, 2000 in San Jose, California.

The two-day summit, sponsored by NuSphere, will bring together leading database developers in the Open Source community, and is the first in an ongoing series of events organized by the OSDN Developer Services Program. By hosting a series of tightly focused developer-to-developer (D2D) events, the OSDN Developer Services Program will facilitate communication and cooperation between Open Source software developers, vendors and users working in key technology areas.

OSDN's first Database Summit will feature speakers representing some of the leading Open Source database projects, including David Axmark and Monty Widenius of MySQL AB; D. Britton Johnston, CTO of NuSphere; PostgreSQL developers Bruce Momjian and Tom Lane of Great Bridge; InterBase co-founder Ann Harrison, president of IBPhoenix; and Berkeley DB developers Michael Olson and Michael Udell of Sleepycat Software.

The overwhelmingly positive response to the Open Source Printing Summit sponsored by VA Linux and HP earlier this year inspired OSDN to offer similar events. The goal is to provide Open Source community programs to support development in key technology areas for Open Source, as well as outreach programs to introduce individuals and businesses to Open Source development methodologies and the benefits of Open Source solutions.

Future OSDN Developer Services events will cover key topics such as security, network management and graphics programming. Further information on the Open Source Database Summit and other conferences and events organized by OSDN is available at http://www.osdn.com/conferencesHREF="http://www.osdn.com/conferences"> About OSDN

OSDN (Open Source Development Network), a division of VA Linux Systems, Inc., is the leading Linux and Open Source destination on the Internet. OSDN is a network and community outreach organization committed to accelerating Open Source software development, which also serves as a gateway for individuals and organizations worldwide to understand and join this revolution.

Serving over 80 million page impressions to more than 3 million users each month, OSDN includes the leading Open Source sites for news, information and discussion (Slashdot, NewsForge and Linux.com), the largest sites for collaborative Open Source development and support (SourceForge and QuestionExchange), the most popular sites for software distribution (Freshmeat and Themes.org), online shopping for technical enthusiasts (ThinkGeek), a new print publication (Open magazine), and community discussion forums and personalized content on the beta site for OSDN.com.

Certain statements in this press release, including statements relating to future events and benefits of the OSDN Developer Services Program and future growth in Open Source software development, are forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause results to be materially different from expectations. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the company's ability to negotiate, close and implement agreements with event sponsors; continued third-party support for OSDN; competition with larger and more established companies; the company's ability to attract and retain qualified personnel; industry trends in Linux and Open Source; and other risks detailed in VA Linux's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, copies of which may be accessed through the SEC's web site at www.sec.gov.

Note: VA Linux Systems, OSDN, SourceForge, Slashdot, Freshmeat, QuestionExchange, ThinkGeek and NewsForge are trademarks of VA Linux Systems, Inc. NuSphere is a trademark of NuSphere Corporation. MySQL is a trademark of MySQL AB. Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.