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OSCON - the Wrap-Up
lisah writes "NewsForge's Joe 'Zonker' Brockmeier has been reporting from OSCON all week and wrote a great wrap up of the event. He even had the foresight to take along a video camera while rubbing elbows with some of what Brockmeier calls the 'leading minds in open source.' Caught on tape: Kernel developer Greg Kroah-Hartman, Python creator Guido van Rossum, Jeff Waugh of Canonical, Greg Lund-Chaix of OSL, and OSCAMP 2006 organizer Brandon Sanders."
He even had the foresight to take along a video camera while rubbing elbows with some of what Brockmeier calls the 'leading minds in open source.' Caught on tape: Kernel developer Greg Kroah-Hartman, Python creator Guido van Rossum, Jeff Waugh of Canonical, Greg Lund-Chaix of OSL, and OSCAMP 2006 organizer Brandon Sanders.
That's great that he caught Guido van Rossum, but no video of Chris DiBona and Karl Fogel?
The theory of relativity doesn't work right in Arkansas.
Ok, I'm tired of getting modded 0 and 1 this post will be 100% serious for the TFA solely because my jokes weren't funny enough. Here it goes: Useful Info~ If you're interested in getting involved with kernel development please visit: http://kernelnewbies.org/ which is run by Kroah-Hartman. An interview with Guido van Rossum, the creator of Python: http://www.newsforge.com/blob.pl?id=1a2eb8656310db 65fa03461a41a91866
and finally Jeff Waugh, the creator of Ubuntu and the newest edition which will be talked about in this interview: http://www.newsforge.com/blob.pl?id=7e977d3c0eafee a86808086c275e87cf
Open Source needs to be about broad teams of user/developers. Not about luminaries and celebrities.
The heros of OS are an inspiration, but I think they'd rather have a team of peers to work with than a sort of paparazzi experience.
There is a legitimate point behind this troll. When does being an open source project administrator have more to do with media relations than project management? People like RMS, etc. probably spend very little of their time writing code and much more of their time promoting their projects and building community.
Open Source software has evolved to the point where the "leading minds" have become project administrators deciding which contributions to merge into the main build rather than thought leaders defining the future of their products. Not to troll, but a project manager at Microsoft probably has more influence on the technological evolution of their products than open source project leaders. It is just the nature of distributed development--distributed innovation.
ByteMyCode.com: A Web 2.0 code sharing community.
RMS. Build community. Riiight.
How we know is more important than what we know.
Laugh it up. RMS's deliberate actions and dedication resulted in the free software movement, and are more or less the reason why Microsoft doesn't dominate the web today.
RMS is the primary reason why Linux ended up being more than just a toy that was popular among college-age Unix geeks. Give the man some credit.
http://outcampaign.org/
Guido van Rossum? Doesn't the U.S. have a trade and travel embargo against Cuba because of him?
http://outcampaign.org/
I wonder if he has any relation to the infamous Zonk on /.
http://outcampaign.org/
First of all, may I please express my thanks for a great conference!
Because of work requirements and having returned from the OLS (Ottawa Linux Symposium); my attendence at Oscon was limited.
The few BOF's that I did attend were very much worthwile. I attended the open source in medical BOF as well as the embedded open source BOF. I did bring home some good information from both as well (hopefuly) leave behind some good information on my own.
This, by the way, is my fourth Oscon; I started with the first one in Portland in 2003. As I live in Portland, I have no problem attending this since I don't have to fork out for travel (yecch!) or hotel.
Which comes to my sentiments on the venue. Oscon, this year, like last year, was held at the Oregon Convention Center. Prior to that, it was held at the Marriot on the waterfront.
I really wasn't going to mention this, but I need to be blunt here. I think that the Oregon Convention Center (OCC) has perhaps the worst soul for any place that I have been to! This is the place! Oscon, the convention, is fine! I only feel sorry they have to use that place.
The Oscon's of 03 and 04 were at the Marriot, which was a much nicer venue. True, they outgrew it, but it still had a much more intimate, nuturing atmophere for this event. I felt very comfortable during those Oscon's than the last two. There were very nice places to 'hang out and chat with others between sessions and in the evening.
What immediately punched me in the stomach about both Oscon 05 and this one was the forboding atmosphere of the place.
This was especially true when I arrived for an evening BOF on Monday night. I arrived at about 7 PM. When I walked into the building, I felt like I just left civilization. There were no people around! The feeling was very eerie. I felt like that I really did not belong there! I had a badge and was properly registered; that was not the problem. I just had a very cold, forboding feeling. I really wanted to turn around and run, not walk right back outside.
I walked for what seemed like hundreds of feet without seeing another soul. That's right; not another person! Finally, I came across a security guard who looked like he wanted to run, not walk, out of that building like me. He did not challenge me, but he did point me to where the BOF's were taking place. Hundreds of more feet without seeing another soul later, I finally came across a few people. I did find the BOF. It was a group of 20 odd people right smack in the middle of nowhere in a huge cavernous hallway whose' air conditioning kept it at about 40 degrees.
The next day, when the exhibits were open; and there were people; it still felt very alian and lonelly. I have longed for the atmosphere back at the Marriot. I just could not get the will to 'hang around' and socialize with the folks I saw there. I lasted about 1 and 1/2 hours at the exhibits before I had to get the **** out of there and outdoors.
I came back another evening for a BOF. This one was in one of the rooms; it was better than my first one. But, when it was over (at about 9 PM), I just had to get out of there. I know that if this were somewhere else, I would have stayed around and talked with the others.
One thing that I have noticed is how quickly the place emptied out after the last regular sessions let out. This was far different from the experience that I had at OLS, which was in Ottawa. Both were technical conferences with BOF's in the evening. At OLF, people hung around for the BOF's and socialized afterward.
I have been at other functions at OCC and I get the same feelings for each one. It's OCC; not the event. I have also talked with others and have found some agreement with my feelings.
OCC is very oversized. It's built for stuff that Portland would never catch. If it were about 1/4 it's size, I think it would have been a lot better. Oscon, great conference it is, is almost invisible in that vast space.
To those of you who put on Oscon; I can't, and won't b
Cleara
How about telling your reader WTF the news are about? You know, something like this:
NewsForge's Joe 'Zonker' Brockmeier has been reporting from OSCON (please insert "OSCON" definition here) all week and wrote a great wrap up of the event.
I'd enjoy it if readers would like to take a look at my coverage of the event for IBM developerWorks. I think I interviewed some interesting people, and generally report on a number of sessions Slashdotters might like. Look at:
a vidmertz
http://www-03.ibm.com/developerworks/blogs/page/d
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The people I know on the kernel list influence people by actually doing work, and lots of it.
Open Source is a Meritocracy. If you don't do good work, people ignore you.
We don't listen to talking heads and know-nothing managers. We leave that to Microsoft.
"Trademarks are the heraldry of the new feudalism."
How, exactly? Microsoft wouldn't give a shit about standards if it didn't have competition on the client side. That competition is primarily Firefox and Safari, and neither of those would have existed except for the "open source" movement, which would never have started without the free software movement, which is the brainchild of RMS.
http://outcampaign.org/
Hm, somehow I made Zonker leave my session. I don't know whether I feel proud or depressed!
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It sounded like you were giving him no credit at all.
evil is as evil does
No, that would be saying "RMS has done nothing to build the community". He does try, he's just insanely inadequate.
How we know is more important than what we know.
. Not to troll, but a project manager at Microsoft probably has more influence on the technological evolution of their products than open source project leaders.
A program (not project) manager at Microsoft must take orders from higher-ups. Linux or Guido make up their own minds based upon community suggestion. Otherwise I agree with you. The Program Manager has more control, but less freedom to act as they wish. The Open Source team lead has a high degree of freedom but less direct control.
this i a great summary bravo!
"Funny but I thought"... We all know bad things happen when you try to 'think'.
Actually, there were quite a few free activities. OSCamp, the Ruby Roundup, impromptu stuff happening in the halls. I certainly didn't get anything beyond a free exhibit hall pass yet found plenty of good things to do. Yeah, some of the sessions would have been nice, but I feel I got plenty out of the conference without paying the dough.
What...the...hell...
Please, for the good of Humanity, vote Obama.
Perhaps you could do better.
evil is as evil does
Dozens of people already do, and yes, I could.
How we know is more important than what we know.
I look forward to reading about you in the press. Please drop me a line when the article about you get's written just in case I miss it.
evil is as evil does