Fall COMDEX was the center of numerous showings of new tape technologies offering significant increases in tape capacity and performance. Of interest to users of midrange tape technology was the showing of Linear Tape Open (LTO) tape drives. Just as the upstart Linux operating system is nurturing a small but growing base of users, LTOcompliant products promise to secure a significant portion of the backup marketplace. The strength of LTO is in its organization and its technology. This paper will highlight these strengths and compare them to other tape products.