• This Monday marked the beginning of the final week to submit papers for the 2010 Utah Open Source Conference.

    If you miss this final chance to submit a paper you may well miss out on your opportunity to present!

    In addition to being a presenter there are several other opportunities to contribute to the Utah Open Source Conference, such as volunteering your time or conducting a BoF get together.

    Check out http://blog.utos.org and http://2010.utosc.com for all the latest opportunities to help out this year!

  • The Utah Open Source Conference 2010, like the object in the rear view mirror, running October 7th through the 9th 2010, is closer then it appears!!

    The Call for Papers for UTOSC 2010 is officially open! Paper submission deadline is July 15th, 2010 at Midnight and can be submitted through the Utah Open Source Conference website at http://2010.utosc.com.

    If you’ve got something to share, something to tell, something to introduce or something to show, please take the time and submit a presentation to the Utah Open Source Conference 2010. We’d love to see your presentation!!

    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. 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 centers around being “free“, so your topic can be targeted at beginners, experts, or someone in between. Don’t forget that there are plenty of “free” applications out there as well!

    It may help to see what topics were presented last year. Go to for information about 2009’s conference sessions.

    Several sessions will be targeted at beginning or “newbie” users including those who are family members of an Open Source geek. Basic sessions around Linux, The GIMP, or WordPress are good examples of these types of sessions.

    We have expanded our categories offerings this year and you can select multiple audiences as well. If there is a category you do not see listed, please let us know by emailing our program coordinator, at program@utos.org.

    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 surveillance 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 UTOSC 2007, UTOSC 2008 or UTOSC 2009.

    What’s that URL again?

    Go to http://2010.utosc.com and get yourself an account. Then you can submit as many presentation ideas as you wish!!

    Posted on May 3, 2010 to:

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  • The Utah Open Source Foundation is pleased to announce its 2010 Conference: October 7th-9th, 2010 at the Salt Lake Community CollegeMiller Free Enterprise Center in Sandy, Utah.

    The Utah Open Source Conference 2010 will explore the theme “It’s better when it’s free*”.

    The conference, now in its fourth year, is designed for all users, developers and administrators of Free and Open Source Software of any skill level.

    See the official press release:  Utah Open Source Conference 2010 Announcement

    To keep up-to-date on the latest news, visit the Utah Open Source Foundation at these locations:

    http://blog.utos.org – Utah Open Source Blog
    http://utosc.com – Utah Open Source Conference 2010 Website

    In addition, feel free to follow Utah Open Source on these social networks:

    #utos on irc.freenode.net
    http://identi.ca/utos – Utah Open Source on Identi.ca
    http://twitter.com/utos – Utah Open Source on Twitter
    http://www.flickr.com/groups/utosc/ – Flickr photos from previous years
    http://www.facebook.com/#!/event.php?eid=117121981637421 – UTOSC on Facebook
  • With this wintry weather it is sure hard to tell it’s April in Utah!  Combine that with a very successful #hackUTOS – A Code Festival recently, we completely forgot about the UTOS Geek Lunch!!

    You’re Lucky Though

    Because we forgot to announce Geek Lunch for April, we’re going to do a very special one in May.  Wings!*.   And the event will take place on the best day of all 50 ¢ wing day!!**

    Here’s the Details (NOTE: The date is not a Friday)

    Meet at the nearest location to you at 12:00pm on Monday, May 3, 2010.  If you have never been, look for the group with this logo at their table.  Geek Lunch is organized by the Utah Open Source Foundation, but you must pay for your meal.  We look forward to seeing all of you there.

    Date: Monday, May 3, 2010
    Time: 12:00pm – 1:30pm

    Salt Lake County

    Wing Coop (website and map)
    4095 South Redwood Road
    Salt Lake City, Utah 84123
    Phone: (801) 274-WING

    Weber / Davis Counties

    Wing Nutz (website and map)
    2332 Kiesel Avenue (@ The Junction)
    Ogden, UT 84401
    Phone: (801) 528-5698

    If you have a suggestion please let us know in the comments section.  See you all there!

    Clint

    * – We apologize to those veggie eaters we have in our crowd.  We’ll make sure to do a veggie friendly venue at the next Geek Lunch.

    ** – This only applies to folks going to Wing Coop on May 3.

    Posted on April 30, 2010 to:

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  • It looks like #hackUTOS – A Code Festival is going to be roaring.  We’ve got 5 projects listed on our site, several people have told me they are coming to the event and plan to hack for the day.

    We’re very excited to have everyone coming to hack along with us!

    On Friday, I’ll be heading out to the grocery store to pick up snacks, drinks and the like for everyone to eat while they hack.  I’ll likely pick up some normal hacking event snacks, caffeine, sugar, chips and the like, but what kind of snacks would you like at #hackUTOS – A Code Festival?

    Take a moment to comment and list a few things you’d like to see while you hack :)

    Cheers,

    Clint

    Posted on April 21, 2010 to:

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  • #hackUTOS – A Code Festival is less than a week away and boy are we at the Utah Open Source Foundation excited!

    We’ve got some awesome SWAG coming from XMission, Stackable and of course UTOS.

    We’ve got breakfast and lunch being provided, as well as tons of snacks and drinks for our geeks and nerds.

    New Website

    We’ve got a new website at http://hack.utos.org with all the details about the event.

    Projects Update

    We’ve got a few good projects already lined up at http://hack.utos.org/projects.

    Please add your project early if you are planning on attending.  It should get approved within a couple hours and appear on the site.

    See you all there!

    Cheers,

    Clint

    Posted on April 19, 2010 to:

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  • If you have ever been interested in creating, improving or just participating in an open source project, here’s your chance!  Do you already have an free and open source software project you are working on?

    Come On Down!

    At #hackUTOS, there will be developers, designers, documenters, testers and more looking for something to get involved in. Come down and learn how to get involved in an open source project!  Even if you aren’t a developer, there are needs for documentation, testing, promotion and more.

    hackUTOS – A Code Festival (RSVP Requested)
    April 24, 2010 :: 9am – 6pm
    Open Source Technology Center at Novell (map)
    #hackUTOS on irc.freenode.net
    free admission, free software, free SWAG and free food sponsored XMission and Stackable.com!

    More details at the UTOS Wiki.  See our previous posts as well.

    Sponsored By:

    See you all there!  It’s going to be a blast!

    Cheers,

    Clint

  • Geek lunch this month was awesome!  In Salt Lake City, we had 25 people attend, I heard that Roosters in Layton had a small crowd of 5.  Many from Code Greene and XMission came to enjoy a meal.  A special thanks goes out to XMission’s Pete Ashdown for picking up the tab for the entire group in SLC!

    Below are some pictures from the event: (full set of pictures is on flickr)

    See you all next month!

    Cheers,

    Clint

    Posted on March 2, 2010 to:

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  • Hey folks, this Friday is Geek Lunch time!  The theme this month is ‘Pub Food’.  We’re planning on enjoying a few good cheese fries, Monte Christo sandwiches, or a really tasty Veggie Burger.

    Here’s the Details

    Meet at the nearest location to you at 12:30pm this Friday, February 26, 2010.  If you have never been, look for the group with this logo at their table.  Geek Lunch is organized by the Utah Open Source Foundation, but you must pay for your meal.  We look forward to seeing all of you there.

    Date: Friday,February 26, 2010
    Time: 12:30pm – 2:00pm

    Salt Lake County

    The Green Pig (website)
    31 East 400 South
    Salt Lake City, Utah 84111 (map)
    (801) 532-7441

    Weber / Davis Counties

    Roosters (website)
    748 Heritage Park Boulevard
    Layton, Utah 84041 (map)
    (801) 774-9330

    Utah County

    There is currently no place planned for in Utah county due to low turnout.  If you would like to help organize a Geek Lunch in Utah county, please email clint@utos.org.

    See you all there!

    Clint

    Posted on February 23, 2010 to:

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  • Hey folks, this Friday is Geek Lunch time!  The theme this month is ‘Indian food’ so come enjoy your ‘Chicken Tikka Masala, or Lamb Saag, Naan and a Mango Lassi

    Here’s the Details

    Meet at the nearest location to you at 12:30pm this Friday, January 29, 2010.  If you have never been, look for the group with this logo at their table.  Geek Lunch is organized by the Utah Open Source Foundation, but you must pay for your meal.  We look forward to seeing all of you there.

    Date: Friday, January 29, 2010
    Time: 12:30pm

    Salt Lake County

    India House
    8660 South State Street
    Sandy, UT 84070
    (801) 569-0550 (map)

    Weber / Davis Counties

    Taste of India
    1664 N Woodland Park Dr
    Layton, UT 84041
    (801) 614-0107 (map)

    Utah County

    India Palace
    98 West Center Street
    Provo, UT‎ 84601
    (801) 373-7200‎ (map)

    Posted on January 26, 2010 to:

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