OSCON on a Budget

If open source software is your bag, then you might want to head for the Open Source Convention in Portland.

Photos by: David Duncan

(PORTLAND) - This week I'm checking in from OSCON in Portland, the eighth annual Open Source Convention, hosted by O'Reilly Publishing at the Oregon Convention Center. Primarily aimed at informing businesses about the wide array of open source software available, most of the sessions and tutorials are priced at hundreds of dollars each. In the midst of this gathering of world-class talent there are also some great educational opportunities that are free. Read on. At the OSCON registration desk, you can obtain a free Exhibit Hall pass. Major companies and local groups will have booths in this area, Wednesday & Thursday, 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM. This pass also gives access to the 'products and services track' of sessions, as well as over 30 'Birds of a Feather' evening gatherings on various topics, per the schedule posted outside the Exhibit Hall. See the OSCAMP group's room in room E141 for additional ad hoc topic discussions or start your own topic without needing anyone's permission. There will be a special off-site event Wednesday at 7:30 PM: The crown jewel of "world class for free" sessions will be The Ruby Rodeo II, where an undisclosed list of celebrity speakers in town for OSCON will repeat a hip version of their OSCON presentations at FreeGeek, a short drive south from the conference center. FreeGeek is a non-profit organization for computer recycling, education, and serves as a hub of local computer enthusiast activity. The OSCAMP/pdxphp event Thursday at 6:00 PM is called "Meet the PHP speakers of OSCON". You can find it in Room E146. This event features short talks and QA from the biggest names in the PHP development world. That's all for now, links below for more details, hope to see you there! --- * OSCON main page - conferences.oreillynet.com/os2006/ * OSCON free exhibit hall registration - conferences.oreillynet.com/pub/w/46/register.html * OSCON products and service track - conferences.oreillynet.com/cs/os2006/print/e_trak/355 * OSCAMP free sessions - oscamp.org/CampSchedule * "Ruby Rodeo II" at FreeGeek (1731 SE 10th AV) - freegeek.org * "Meet the PHP Speakers" - pdxphp.org

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