The LinuxWorld Expo in San Francisco is the center of the Linux universe this week, celebrating the best Linux apps and advancing the cause of Linux in business. If you can't be at the Moscone Center, you can read the latest conference news at the LinuxWorld Expo web site, which naturally is powered by ... Windows Server 2003.

Linux enthusiasts are not alone in finding their "World" running on Microsoft software, as the Mac World Expo is also hosted on Windows Server 2003.

The parent company for both shows, publisher International Data Group (IDG), isn't completely averse to operating system diversity. IDG runs its main web site on Windows 2000, while its trade show unit is hosted on Windows NT4.

In fairness to IDG, it's hardly the only trade show operator that doesn't tailor its hosting for OS-specific events. The web site for the upcoming Wall Street on Linux show runs on Windows Server 2003, as does the Real World Linux site, which previously was hosted on Linux.

For the record, LinuxWorld magazine is hosted on Linux.