I was among a group of enthusiasts in a local Linux User Group who were contacted by IBM in about 1997 or 98 to give some talks in their local HQ; the experienc

I was among a group of enthusiasts in a local Linux User Group who were contacted by IBM in about 1997 or 98 to give some talks in their local HQ; the experience was quite satisfying, they were genuinely interested. According to some of them, word was that Lou Gerstner, then IBM CEO, had been told by one of his closest advisors something along "if we don't take Linux seriously we're going to make our biggest mistake in history", and that started it all.