MySQL will be flying Jay Pipes (North American Community Relations Manager at
MySQL) in to Salt Lake on the 14th for the sole purpose of addressing PLUG
(and all other local SIGs). Please spread the word. Set your calendars. Blog
it. Spread it. Tell everyone.

To be clear: THIS WILL BE AN IN-DEPTH TECHNICAL PRESENTATION. Expect this to
be one of those killer, mind-bending, and deep technical presentations. The
kind that leaves you barley able to drive home. Jay will keep the presentation
as language agnostic as possible - and focus just on the SQL-fu Jay
specializes in. This is one presentation you don’t want to miss.

There will be prizes (books and MySQL swag). And we will have drinks. There
might be food, but don’t plan on it.

His bio:

Jay Pipes is the North American Community Relations Manager at MySQL.
Co-author of Pro MySQL (Apress, 2005), Jay has also written articles for Linux
Magazine and regularly assists software developers in identifying how to make
the most effective use of MySQL. He has given sessions on performance tuning
at the MySQL Users Conference, RedHat Summit, NY PHP Conference, OSCON, and
Ohio LinuxFest, amongst others. He lives in Columbus, Ohio, with his wife,
Julie, and his four animals. In his abundant free time, when not being
pestered by his two needy cats and two noisy dogs, he daydreams in PHP code
and ponders the ramifications of __clone().

-Ryan

— Books we have to give away:
- A book regarding Fedora.
- A “Head First” book from O’Reilly on SQL.
- Several very excellent “Pragmatic Programmers” books:
- Programming Ruby (very good)
- Java to Ruby
- Enterprise Integration with Ruby
- Agile Web Development with Rails
- Agile Retrospectives
- Practices of an Agile Developer

So what does all this mean? It means it’s time to party like it’s v0.99!

Code Greene, a programming shop located in Salt Lake City, is graciously hosting a release party THIS SATURDAY to celebrate these two latest distribution releases. What?! You’re a OpenSUSE enthusiast? A long-time Slackware user? That’s okay! You can still come and enjoy good food, good company, and fun and games. (Rumor has it these Code Greene people don’t actually do any real work, they just play foosball and videogames all day.)

Here are the vital details:

• Date/time: Saturday, May 3, 6pm to 8pm
• Address: Code Greene, 44 Exchange Place Salt Lake City, UT 84111

Now, if you’re coming, you should take a moment and RSVP via this friendly and easy-to-use Upcoming link.

This release party is being sponsored by us- the Utah Open Source Foundation, the Fedora Project, and Ubuntu Utah.

If you go to the < http://www.utcodecamp.com/ > site, one of the first things you may notice is that this has traditionally been an event for software developers working on Microsoft platforms and, more recently, Apple platforms. The organizers are eager to include the open source developer community in these events going forward.

Registration is required to attend and should not set you back too much because registration is FREE!

Neumont University is at 10701 South River Front Parkway, Suite 300, in South Jordan. Here’s a convenient link to a Google Map to the location.

Here is an official blurb about the event:

The Code Camp is a one day training put on by local volunteers in your community. We have presentations ranging on all sorts of topics for Dba’s to Developers. We will have several tracks running throughout the day. You can check on the website for a current list of speakers and sessions. The Code Camp is open to all technologies and is a great place to get together with others and network.

We will have lots of giveaways including software, game system, and Ipod.

We are still looking for a few more speaker spots if you are interested in speaking.

Should you have any questions please visit the website or email. Pwright@medicity.com

You only have until June 1 to get that paper turned in. You can submit your proposed topic by going to the 2008 Utah Open Source Conference website and clicking on the Call For Papers link.

If you’re not sure where to begin, check out our previous blog post about the Call For Papers.

The Utah Open Source Awards will be given in four categories:

• Business
• Community
• Technology
• Education

In 2007, awards were given in three categories as the Education category was not added until this year. The recipients of the 2007 Utah Open Source Awards were:

• Matt Asay of Alfresco (Business) for his work evangelizing open source software in business
• Brandon Beattie (Technology) for his excellent contributions to the MythTV project
• Christer Edwards (Community) for his leadership in the Ubuntu Utah project

Now is the time for you to close your eyes and search deep in the crevices of your mind of who within the local community has made a positive impact on your experience using open source software. It could be someone who writes helpful documentation or blog posts. Perhaps you know someone who has developed valuable open source software. Maybe it’s someone who has made a difference in encouraging adoption and understanding of open source software. Whoever it is, concentrate on them. Now, imagine them receiving a big round of applause and a cool gift as thanks from the community. Okay, open your eyes.

When you have thought of at least one person, send a quick e-mail message to awards@utos.org with the name and a brief explanation of why you think this person is deserving of a Utah Open Source Award. There’s no limit to how many people you can nominate, but you can only submit nominations until August 1.

Winners will be announced (and awarded) during the 2008 Utah Open Source Conference held August 28-30, 2008 at the Salt Lake Community College Redwood Campus.

All are welcome to join in the celebration of newly released Fedora and Ubuntu distributions. Ubuntu Utah has been gracious to allow revelers from the Fedora camp join in with the Ubuntu Utah team.  The entire event will be sponsored by the Utah Open Source Foundation who will also provide food.

FOOD IS FIRST COME FIRST SERVE, SO COME EARLY AND COME HUNGRY!

If you’ve never been to a release party, they are a blast, and this one proves to be nothing less than spectacular.  In fact, Code Greene’s owner Mac Newbold has offered up his office (or rather playground) for us to hold our party.  Code Greene has foosball, video games, pool, music and more for all to enjoy.

Why: Release of Ubuntu Hardy Heron (8.04) and Fedora Sulphur (F9)
When:  May 3, 2008, 6-8pm (or thereabouts)
Where: Code Greene, 44 Exchange Place Salt Lake City, UT 84111

Please RSVP via upcoming.org if you are participating.

Cheers,

Clint Savage / Aaron Toponce
UTOSF / Ubuntu Utah

We at Utah Open Source (UTOS) know you work hard day in and day out and deserve a break from the hardship of having to deal with meaningless discussions about what’s best. We give you something better — perhaps the best mailing list ever: utos-announce. We created this list so we can mail out announcements about upcoming UTOS events, but you can use it too, to announce anything you’ve got coming up… well, as long as it has something to do with open source in Utah.

Subscribing to the utos-announce list is simple: Go to < http://utos.org/mailman/listinfo/utos-announce >, enter your e-mail address, your name (optional), a password (also optional), and select the Subscribe button. If you’ve followed these instructions so far without making any mistakes or being distracted by a flamewar continuing on one of the other mailing lists you’re subscribed to, a confirmation message will be sent to your e-mail address with instructions on how to confirm your subscription. Follow those instructions (They’re real, real simple… like “click on this” simple.) and you’ll be ready to receive amazing, exciting announcements!

Subscribing to the utos-announce list is a great way to stay informed about the latest developments of the upcoming UTOSC conference. Find out who the keynote speakers will be before the story is aired on the local evening news. Learn what exciting schwag and promotions conference sponsors will be offering in their booths. Get the low-down on entertainment options while you’re attending the Utah Open Source Conference. Ahhh… the possibilities are endless.

What? You’re still here? Go subscribe already!

The UTOSC Call For Papers begins now at <http://2008.utosc.com/>! Papers can be submitted until June 1, after which time chosen presenters will be announced.

Some people are natural public speakers and presenters while others are reluctant to imagine themselves in front of a group of people at a conference. Because this year’s Utah Open Source Conference theme is “HOWTO”, nobody should feel unqualified or inexperienced to present. We want presenters who can share information at all levels.

And now, some tough questions.

What should I talk about?

You should talk about Open Source software, philosophy, technology, etc. The theme for this year’s conference is “HOWTO” so your topic can be targeted at beginners, experts, or someone in between.

It may help to see what topics were presented last year. Go to <http://www.utosc.com/2007/sessions/> for information about 2007’s conference sessions.

This year, several sessions will be targetted at beginning or “newbie” users including those who are family members of an Open Source geek. Basic sessions on using OpenOffice.org, GIMP, or K3B are good examples of these types of sessions.

We are asking for presentations in one of the following categories, so bear that in mind also:

• Business
• Technical
• Community
• Education

What does a response to a call for papers look like?

You should come up with a brief outline, or abstract, of your presentation and who would be interested. You should also provide some information about you, your experience with open source software and the specific aspects you’re proposing to speak about.

Here’s an example of an abstract:

Title: Open source home security

This presentation will outline how I have used a
Linux server, IP cameras, and open source software,
to provide around-the-clock video and image
surveilance of my home which is archived for later
viewing and is available for viewing via the Web
when I’m not at home. 

The presentation will describe how to set up a
system similar to mine and what alternatives are
available for software and hardware in the system.

What’s in it for me?

There are lots of perks reserved for people chosen to present at the Utah Open Source Conference!

Resumé material

Having presented on a topic at a conference is a great thing to add to your resumé and could make the difference the next time you apply for a job.

Free admission

If you’re chosen as a speaker, we’ll let you — and your family — into the conference for FREE!

A picture and a paragraph

Speakers are asked to submit a digital photo and a paragraph of biographical information which will be seen by those viewing the UTOSC website and those reading the conference program.

Warm fuzzies

Being involved in the Utah Open Source Conference is a great experience. Just ask anyone who was involved in 2007’s conference.

What’s that URL again?

Go to <http://2008.utosc.com/> and get yourself an account. Then you can submit as many presentation ideas as you like.

If you are interested in joining the fun, please feel free to stop by and learn some kick-a** django skillz.

The last two HackNights were all-nighters and were very successful.  Tomorrow’s HackNight is to refactor the views a little and build out the blog portion of the app as well.  Feel free to come by and stay as long or as little as you like.

See you all there.

Cheers,

Clint

In our previous blog posting, we described the theme the 2008 UTOSC is designed around: HOWTO. In this article, we’ll explain some of the ways we’re planning to abide by this theme.

Friends and Family

The 2008 UTOSC is designed to be more friendly to “newbies,” people who have only had a limited amount of exposure to the open source world, and to family members of those who eat, drink, sleep and roll around in open source every moment of their geeky lives.

Conference sessions on Friday, August 29, will include sessions targeted at those just getting their feet wet. Topics may include “Installing Linux,” “Using OpenOffice.org,” “Introduction to open source social networking tools,” and “Understanding SSH.”

The planning and organizing committee is excited about getting family members involved in what would ordinarily be considered fairly exclusive to geeks. There will be plenty of activities and conference sessions Saturday, August 30 targeting children and significant others so they can learn how open source may benefit them. We’ll have games and educational software for the kids like SuperTuxCart, SuperTux, Planet Penguin Racer, Gcompris, and KDEEDU. Session topics may include “Open source digital scrapbooking,” “Open source for the musician and music enthusiast,” “Open source and family history,” and “Open source artistry.” Great fun for the entire family!

To make this happen, admission on Saturday will be free to those who attend with a registered conference attendee.

Bar what?

Earlier this year, Utah Open Source Foundation (UTOSF) Head Cheese, Clint Savage, attended FUDCon, a conference for users and developers of the Fedora Linux distribution. One of the days of this conference was set up as a BarCamp, where attendees meet at the beginning of the day and decide, as a group, what conference topics and activities will take place that day. The BarCamp process is fairly informal, but there is one rule: Every attendee has to participate either by presenting or facilitating in at least one session.

Clint was totally amazed by this process and said it was one of the most satisfying conference experiences he’s had. He vowed that the 2008 Utah Open Source Conference would include one day of BarCamp. As a result, Thursday, August 28, the first day of the conference, will be held BarCamp-style. Be sure to show up early so you can participate in the entire process.

What now?

We’ll be posting more information in the days and weeks to come with more information about UTOSC 2008 including a Call For Papers and a Call For Volunteers. If you haven’t already, start thinking of topics you could present at this year’s conference with the above information in mind. Because this conference caters to a very diverse audience of varying levels of experience using open source or even using computers, nobody should feel they don’t have something to contribute.

Because 2007 was such a grand success, we’ve made some minor changes and improvements to help with a smoother conference. This year’s conference is at a different location and we’ve added a full day on Thursday.

The Utah Open Source Conference 2008 will be held at the Salt Lake Community College, Redwood Road campus August 28 - 30, 2008.

This years theme is HOWTO. The concept is that within the technology, education, community and business tracks, there will be plenty to talk about.

• HOWTOs will help others get started
• HOWTOs will help families use open source together
• HOWTOs will provide a stepping stone along the road to technology mastery
• HOWTOs will let those that are masters get together and make the products better.

These are just a few of the many things that HOWTO theme will accomplish during the Utah Open Source Conference (UTOSC) 2008.

The Salt Lake Community College Computer Science department is excited to be a sponsor of the 2008 conference and will be using it to improve students’ awareness and understanding of open source software.

The Utah Open Source Foundation is also re-dedicating itself to ensure the pricing structure remains reasonable for those who’d like to come and are on a budget. The pricing structure right now is tentative, but no major increases in the fees are planned for attendees.

We currently have a tentative plan on our wiki, so feel free to have a look. If you have suggestions, please join the chat anytime in the #utos channel on irc.freenode.net or email clints at utos dot org with your comments.

Watch closely over the next week for the Call for Papers, updates on the basic schedule, and the Call for Volunteers among other exciting announcements, including our keynote speakers.

See you all in August.

Clint Savage
Founder, Utah Open Source Foundation

• Layton.rb - Feb 4, 7pm - Topic unavailable
• BYU UUG - Feb 7, 7pm - Basic DNS With Bind by Stuart Jansen
• Ubuntu Utah - Feb 9, 6pm - Debian/Ubuntu Packaging by Tim Riker

A special thanks goes out to TierFour for the streaming and podcast bandwidth to share these meetings. Please feel free to join the streaming discussion this week for the Ubuntu Utah meeting at http://stream.utos.org

One of the really nice improvements was the addition of the logo by James Hancock who’s really good with his inkscape skills.  Other improvements included a better gui, backend administration, refactoring much of the user creation to better accommodate future enhancements.

One of the best features that has been added tonight was the blog functionality by Kevin Kubasik of GNOME fame.  When a conference is upcoming and during the conference itself, this feature will be front and center.  Nice work!

Things that are left include registration, including payments with google checkout, paypal or a merchant backend.  Sponsor management is another, as well as schedules for volunteers, speakers, attendees and sessions, bofs and events.

I’m even sure there are items not yet considered above, but that’s the functionality we hope to have in place within the next few months.   Feel free to download the project, and submit patches back to us anytime, we dig the help.

We’re looking forward to deploying the Call for Papers components tomorrow or Sunday in our official call for papers announcement, so keep your eyes peeled.

Cheers,

Clint

The chinese food arrived at around 9pm, and we sat around talking design and ideas for the next 30 minutes, and about 11pm we really started digging into the project.

After about 12-13 hours of good coding, and time troubleshooting, learning, drinking loads of caffeine and a bunch of other good stuff, I’m proud to announce the first real progress on the ConMan project from UTOSF.

The general idea is to improve upon otherwise incomplete or sucky open source conferencing systems. ConMan (Conference Manager) is seeming to become quite good, with some good coding from Kevin Kubasik, good web design by John and some good perserverence as well by yours truly. Most of the group crashed out somewhere between 2am and 8am, Kevin and I however, continued to hack until we had something semi-solid at around 11:30am.

It was a great time had by all and a good framework has been built. Django seems like the perfect solution for this and we will even have CAPTCHA and email confirmation early in the 0.0.2 release.

For now though, if you are interested in seeing the Call for Papers, Call for Volunteers and Contact applications, please feel free to download it at http://code.google.com/p/utos-conman. We look forward to bug reports (which you can also make at the google code site, you just need a google account) and fixes in the future. Also any recommendations that are made will be taken into consideration.

In addition, keep an eye out for the “Call for Papers” to appear at http://2008.utosc.com very soon.

Cheers,

Clint Savage

In addition to this feature, UTOSF will also be providing an announcement service for podcasts of LUG meetings that were streamed and recorded.

This service should start around the beginning of February 2008 and hopefully provide simple, yet easy to read posts with all of the details needed.

If your group is not listed on the current UTOSF Groups page, or want your meetings streamed and recorded, please leave a comment, or contact clint At utosf (dot) org and we’ll get it added.

Cheers,

Clint Savage