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LinuxCon was a real Linux Foundation conference series, but it is no longer the name of the Foundation’s flagship general-purpose Linux event. The LinuxCon brand was rebranded as Open Source Summit in 2017 across North America, Europe, and Japan. As of August 18, 2026, the Linux Foundation’s official events calendar lists Open Source Summit and specialized Linux conferences, but no current LinuxCon registration or event page.
What was LinuxCon?
LinuxCon was a conference series organized by the Linux Foundation. It brought together Linux developers, kernel and systems engineers, enterprise users, hardware and software vendors, project leaders, and open-source communities.
Its subject matter extended beyond the Linux kernel. Depending on the edition, programs covered Linux development and deployment, enterprise Linux, cloud and infrastructure, embedded and mobile Linux, open-source business, and community collaboration. LinuxCon was therefore a broad industry and developer conference—not a Linux distribution, software product, certification, or permanent organization.
Was LinuxCon one conference?
“LinuxCon” was used for regional editions, including:
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- LinuxCon North America
- LinuxCon Europe
- LinuxCon Japan
- LinuxCon Asia
These editions did not necessarily occur every year or use identical schedules, locations, tracks, or co-located events. An old page should be understood in the context of its specific region and year.
LinuxCon timeline
| Period | What happened |
|---|---|
| LinuxCon era | The Linux Foundation operated regional LinuxCon conferences focused on Linux and the surrounding open-source ecosystem. |
| 2016 | The rebrand was announced at the end of LinuxCon North America in Toronto. |
| 2017 | Open Source Summit replaced LinuxCon as the broader flagship event in North America, Europe, and Japan. |
| 2017 onward | The Linux Foundation’s archive records Open Source Summit editions, including North America in Los Angeles in September 2017. |
| 2026 | The current LF Events calendar lists Open Source Summit and specialized Linux events, not LinuxCon. |
Historical transition details are summarized in the Open Source Summit history, while later event editions can be verified in the Linux Foundation event archive.
Why was LinuxCon renamed?
The central reason was the conference’s expanding scope. “LinuxCon” suggested a Linux-specific event, while the Linux Foundation wanted the name to represent a wider open-source audience and mission. The broader Open Source Summit branding better reflected the range of projects, technologies, and communities involved.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsThis was a rebrand rather than a simple cancellation. Open Source Summit became the direct successor, although it should not be treated as an unchanged event: its name and scope are broader than those associated with LinuxCon.
Is LinuxCon still held?
No current LinuxCon event is listed in the Linux Foundation’s official calendar as of August 18, 2026. That does not prove the name can never be revived, so the precise conclusion is that LinuxCon is a retired historical brand for the general flagship event at present.
Readers should be cautious with old search results, conference aggregators, and pages that display past dates without making their archive status obvious. The upcoming-events calendar is the right place to check current events; the archive is the right place to verify historical editions.
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What replaced LinuxCon?
Open Source Summit is the direct successor. Current and announced editions in the LF Events calendar include:
- Open Source Summit Europe: October 7–9, 2026, Prague, Czechia
- Open Source Summit Japan: December 7–9, 2026, Tokyo, Japan
- Open Source Summit North America: May 17–19, 2027, Vancouver, Canada
Dates, venues, registration terms, pricing, speakers, and calls for proposals can change. Verify those details on the individual official event page before making travel or attendance plans.
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The Linux Foundation’s 2026 global events program places Open Source Summit within a wider program focused on open-source AI, agentic systems, scalable infrastructure, and regional technical communities.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Which current event should you attend?
Open Source Summit is the closest general replacement, but a specialized event may be more useful if your goal is narrowly defined.
| Your goal | Better current choice | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Broad open-source technologies and communities | Open Source Summit | The direct successor with a wider open-source scope. |
| Linux kernel internals and low-level development | Linux Plumbers Conference | More focused on kernel subsystems, graphics, networking, filesystems, toolchains, and integration problems. |
| Embedded systems and device software | Embedded Linux Conference | Better suited to firmware, hardware-oriented Linux, devices, and real-time constraints. |
| Linux and open-source security | Linux Security Summit | Focused on security engineering, hardening, vulnerability response, and architecture. |
| Automotive Linux | Automotive Linux Summit | Targets Linux and open-source technologies used in automotive systems. |
| Storage, filesystems, memory management, and BPF | Linux Storage, Filesystem, MM & BPF Summit | A specialist forum for those technical areas. |
| Kubernetes and cloud-native infrastructure | KubeCon + CloudNativeCon | More relevant to Kubernetes and modern cloud-native platform engineering than a general Linux conference. |
These events are not interchangeable LinuxCon editions. The Linux Foundation’s current event directory provides the authoritative list and links for planning.
How to use an old LinuxCon page
An archived LinuxCon page can still be useful for researching:
- Historical schedules and presentation topics
- Recorded talks and technical announcements
- Speaker biographies
- Linux industry and project history
- The development of Open Source Summit
Do not use an old page as the source for current registration, venue information, ticket prices, speakers, calls for proposals, or travel planning. Co-located events can also cause confusion: a specialized conference appearing beside LinuxCon in an old schedule was not necessarily part of LinuxCon itself.
Quick Recap
Common naming mistakes
- LinuxCon is not Linux Plumbers Conference. Plumbers is a more specialized, low-level developer event.
- LinuxCon is not Embedded Linux Conference. ELC concentrates on embedded and device development.
- LinuxCon is not Linux Security Summit or Automotive Linux Summit. Those names identify separate specialist events.
- LinuxCon is not Linux Foundation training or certification. It was a conference series.
- Open Source Summit is not merely an old LinuxCon page with a new URL. It is the direct successor, but its branding and scope are broader.
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