This year's RSA show was, like it predecessors, mostly a schmooze event. Shrunk at least 1/3 in floor space from the 2001/2 events, it certainly reflected the changes in this industry. I was surprised and a bit dismayed that I saw few familiar faces. A brief talk with Stacy Cannan, of L.J. Kushner, the leading security industry recruiter, confirmed my suspicions that many senior level people had left the industry in the past two years. The booths were mostly manned with the latest generation of newly graduated fodder. There didn't seem to be much activity (or smiles for that matter) in most booths. This is probably reflecting the exit/acquisition of some early players, decreased level of IT spending, and the increasing impact of open source security solutions. About the most amusing thing was receiving a "Regime change begins at home" button from one of the executives. steve