During a question-and-answer session after his keynote, Ballmer took a jab at open source. Responding to a question about how Microsoft could compete against free Linux rivals, Ballmer noted that retail customers were very good at doing price comparisons. But, as he explained, "if anyone thinks open-source alternatives are free, then see me after class. Nothing in technology is free. Just learn where to look for the price tag." He said the cost of deploying and implementing Linux was a "big unknown" for customers.

Among other announcements at the conference:

Dallas-based i2 Technologies Inc., a vendor of supply chain management applications, announced an order management product for retail customers. The software allows retailers to manage orders through the entire selling cycle over multiple channels. With the application, for instance, retailers can track a product in a store, through a warehouse or in transit, i2 said.

St. Paul, Minn.-based ERP vendor Lawson Software Inc. announced a new integrated business application suite called QuickStep Fashion. This is tailored to manufacturing and distribution companies that need to handle a wide variety of product ranges with high order volumes. QuickStep is aimed for the apparel, footwear, home textiles and accessories industries in particular.