News
Here is where we will post general news about Open Source and the UTOS conventions
Announcing a UTOSC keynote speaker: Paul Frields
It’s time to let loose information about yet-another keynote speaker for the 2008 Utah Open Source Conference. We are very pleased to announce that attendees at the upcoming conference will have the fortune of hearing from Paul Frields, current Fedora Project Leader (FPL).
Before being employed by Red Hat and serving in the FPL position, Paul worked as an engineer for the U.S. government, but has been intimately involved in the Fedora Project community since 2003 (after Red Hat created the Fedora Project out of the ashes of the free Red Hat Linux distribution). Paul’s involvement with Fedora has included working on and chairing the steering committee for the Fedora Documentation Project.
Paul lives in Fredericksburg, VA with his wife and 2 children where he also helps manage FredLUG - the Fredericksburg Linux User Group.
Paul’s personal blog illustrates that he represents many in the open source community. In addition to being a outspoken advocate of open source software and the communities surrounding open source projects, Paul loves music (playing and listening) and good movies. He lists as one thing he hates that he can’t just play music and hack on Linux all day.
As the FPL, Paul claims accountability for everything in the Fedora project. He works with the Fedora Program Manager, Fedora Engineering Manager, and Fedora Community Architecture teams to make sure Fedora is on track and making progress toward meeting the goals of their next release and supporting the community using the current releases. Paul also manages a handful of Fedora Project packages.
Paul plans to talk about the Fedora Project in his keynote presentation, how it came about, where it’s going, and some of the challenges it has faced in its five year existence.
We are truly lucky to have Paul Frields along with Joe Brockmeier as keynote speakers at this year’s conference!
A blurb about the conference
The 2008 Utah Open Source Conference is the second annual gathering of open source enthusiasts in Utah. Following the amazingly successful first conference held in 2007 at Novell’s Open Source Technology Center in Provo, UT, this year’s conference is being held on the Redwood campus of Salt Lake Community College near Salt Lake City.
For more information about this conference, to register to attend, or to see a really neat website driven by open source software, go over to <http://2008.utosc.com/>.
Posted by Doran Barton on July 12, 2008 in Community, Conference, Events, Keynotes, News
Reminder: Jayce^ on Couchcast.org today (NOON MDT)
Last week, we announced that Jayce^ Hall will be on couchcast.org. Well that day is today, so come and listen to him and the couchcast crew as they discuss who will be at the Utah Open Source Conference 2008.
Here’s the details again just in case you missed them the first time:
When: July 7, 2008 12pm MDT (Today)
Where: http://couchcast.org
See you all there!
Posted by Clint Savage on July 7, 2008 in Conference, Events, News, Podcasts, Streaming
Utah Open Source Conference and CouchCast
Hey everybody!
Guess what! The Utah Open Source Foundation’s very own Jason Hall (Jayce^ [the face]) will be discussing the Utah Open Source Conference with Robert Merrill et al, on CouchCast.
CouchCast is a local show with topics around technology and business. Its a call-in show, so be sure to get on the line in advance and ask questions. Feel free to dial in around noon, 347-324-3797 and ask pretty much anything you like.
Discussions will include keynote announcements, presentations, family day, the Utah Open Source Awards, the troubleshooting challenge (last years big hit) and many other aspects of the conference at the end of August.
Jayce will also be discussing the Utah Open Source Foundation, its purpose, goals and plans for 2009. Things like live streaming of Local User Group meetings, podcasts and other events to make it easier to spread the word about open source in Utah.
Feel free to check it out, here’s how:
When: July 7, 2008 12pm MDT
Where: http://couchcast.org (yes, its flash, sorry) –> hosted by blogtalkradio.
Enjoy the show!
Posted by Clint Savage on June 28, 2008 in Community, Conference, Events, News, Podcasts, Recordings, Registration
The Utah Open Source Conference countdown has begun!
Hi all,
Its been a few days since we blogged about the Utah Open Source Conference 2008 (in fact, more like 2+ weeks). But I’m back now and ready to let you guys know that while there might be a few more bumps in our migration path, most of the Utah Open Source servers are up and working well.
We have been busy lately, preparing for an exciting and fun Utah Open Source Conference 2008. New features continue to crop up on our main site. Check them out and start watching for speakers as we’ll be approving presentations over the next few weeks. The selection committee, made up of many professional geeks, LUG leaders and others, has been madly voting for their favorites so it looks to be a good list of presentations.
As of right now, UTOSC 2008 will begin in approximately 63 days. And due to this, I’ve taken the time to create a little javascript that can be included in your site, with a neat countdown. Have a look at the right hand side of our site.
We’d like to invite everyone to put this link on their website to help us get more people interested in the countdown. Basically, this is a very similar countdown script to the ones released by each of the big Linuxes (Ubuntu, Fedora, OpenSUSE).
Just stick this code anywhere on your site:
<script id=“utosc-banner”
type=“text/javascript”
src=“http://dl.utosc.com/08/scripts/release-counter-ext.js”>
</script>
You should get something similar to this:
See you all at the Utah Open Source Conference 2008!
Cheers,
Clint
Posted by Clint Savage on June 26, 2008 in Community, Conference, Events, News, Registration
Utah Open Source Foundation and Ubuntu Utah bring you a release party of gigantic proportion
Fedora 9 (Sulphur) will be released April 29, 2008
Ubuntu 8.04 (Hardy Heron) will be released April 24, 2008
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
Posted by Clint Savage on April 3, 2008 in Community, Events, Installfest, News, UserGroups
Announcing an announcement list for announcements
Mailing lists can be a pain in the butt, especially when discussions spiral into topics about which pizza delivery company is best, which text editor is best, which Linux distribution is best, which caffeinated beverage is best, etc.
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!
Posted by Doran Barton on March 4, 2008 in Community, Conference, Events, News
UTOSC 2008 Call For Papers - Get moving!
Before there can be another Utah Open Source Conference in 2008, there needs to be a list of people who will present on various topics. This is how YOU can contribute to the conference: by being a presenter!
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.
Posted by Doran Barton on March 2, 2008 in Community, Conference, Events, News
Utah Open Source Conference 2008: Location, Theme and Dates
For those of you waiting with bated breath, wait no longer. The Utah Open Source Conference volunteers have been hard at work year preparing an even more awesome conference for 2008.
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
Posted by Doran Barton on February 6, 2008 in Community, Conference, Events, News, UserGroups
New! UTOS Podcasts of Previously Streamed Meetings
The Utah Open Source Foundation would like to announce the availability of a new podcast available for meetings that have been recently streamed/recorded. They’re available at http://podcast.utos.org. These presentations are available from many of the LUGs around the state. Check them out…
Please let us know what you think as we’d like to do more and better versions in the future. If you’d like to have your meetings streamed and recorded, please let us know.
Cheers,
Clint Savage
Posted by Clint Savage on January 6, 2008 in Community, Meetings, News, Podcasts, Streaming, UserGroups
Utah Open Source Conference 2007 Videos Released - Again!!
Okay, this time we found a better way to produce and release the UTOSC 2007 videos - YouTube! These videos are a great way to escape the in-laws (or watch while wrapping presents).
Because YouTube will let you create your own group, we’ve done so and are making the videos available on our group page. If you are interested in seeing more videos, you can sign up and watch the currently available videos.
Currently, there are only a few videos, and more will be coming everyday. A special thanks to Doran Barton (fozzilinymoo) and OpenSourceTV.tv for helping us out with these videos. We look forward to releasing more videos, and as we do so, announcements will be made here.
Cheers,
Clint Savage
Utah Open Source Foundation
Posted by Clint Savage on December 21, 2007 in Community, Conference, News, UserGroups, Videos