Utah Open Source Conference 2010 Wrap-Up

This year's Utah Open Source Conference was a great event. I'm still amazed this conference can pull off three days, but it some how does just that. I'll admit that on the third day, I'm pretty tired, and my brain is in information overload.

Clint Savage (@herlo) and crew have done an excellent job brining Open Source into the spotlight at least once a year. The conference is open to anyone, and I would really like to see more Enterprises that use Open Source get involved, and I think more Enterprises should send the staff to learn about Open Source alternatives to commercial software. There are a number of OSS products that are just as good if not better than their commercial counterpart. Everything from Office alternatives (OpenOffice.org), to network administration tools, intrusion detection, and photo management.

What is really exceptional is all of the content presented by folks who use the software, and in some cases, wrote the software. You have a mix of industry experts, and passionate users, sharing their experiences, and giving attendees the inside scoop.

I volunteered this year, and helped various presenters with their room needs. It never fails to amaze me the support this conference gets. Look for it next year, and get involved.

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UTOSC 2008 Was A Smashing Success

The 2008 Utah Open Source Conference was a smashing success in my book. I want to thank Clint Savage, and everyone else involved in putting on the event. Everyone involved had a great attitude and did everything possible to make us feel comforatable. 

I wasn't able to get to the conference until later Friday afternoon, having missed many of the great keynotes on Thursday. I was able to sit in on Howard Taylors address on The Free Content Business Model. Howard is a great presenter no matter the topic. The next presentation was given by Joe Brockmeier on How to bootstrap a community.

On Friday night my wife and I attended the geek dinner for UTOSC guests at Tucanos Brazilian Grill, at the Gateway. Food and fun was had by all.

Saturday started early, 8AM, learning about Ubuntu LTS. Next up was Linux Multimedia. This was probably the best presentation I attended. Mainly because I am interested in creating a home media center. Brandon did an excellent job, despite having sever technical difficluties getting started.

I was able to have lunch (catered by Sugarhouse BBQ), with several friends who were attending the event. I made some great contacts, got some great schwag, and learned a lot. I can't until next year, it's sure to be even better.

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