Box Car Racers on the Course

February 11, 2008 in Events, Linux | No comments

I just got back from SCALE 6X and enjoyed myself immensely.  I have to admit to not going to primarily attend papers or even to see the exposition hall.  I’ve reached the point where I enjoy going just to go.  I did hear that they move the show from the Westin Hotel next year and I hope they find a way to not do that.  Truth be told, I truly love that hotel and its service, staff, and location and the show would not be the same if the attendees could not mingle after and not have to travel “miles before they sleep”.  I told Ilan that I really wanted to see them figure out how to keep the show there. 

So what did I enjoy about the show this year?

I enjoyed the people and cameraderie there, the mix of the big and small.  I rubbed elbows with community types and a few people that were fun from Promise Technologies.  I also stopped by IBM’s booth and it was refreshing to see them in an element where talk flowed, ideas bounced, and people felt at ease and comfortable.  I liked the way the show is laid out and the scheduling of the talks.  I went to about 4 papers this year.  Not a record or even enough perhaps; but I enjoyed my time there.  Ed and Dave were there as well and I got to see Pat.

So what do I hope happens next?

I hope they figure out the logistics and administrivia of the show.  My fear and its bounded by optimism because of the organizers is that the show is changing.  Its morphing, becoming something else.  It will grow because people will want to attend something besides the IDG circus in August in SF.  I’ll still go to LWE because I like the little lunch party and this year its going to be a bigger thing with me moving toward a Linuxcare reunion and inviting a few friends from the current incarnation.    So, I hope Ilan and Gareth can figure things out, learn how to scale gracefully (bad pun?), and also reach a point where they can see how to stay at the Westin.  I’d still gladly attend but the social part of things would seem less.

What was funny or otherwise memorable…  A list of sorts:

  1. Levanta was there.  That was kinda interesting.
  2. Rockbox was there!!  Yes!  I like that software.
  3. All the little guys that do things, promote software and choice.  That was the other group that was fun to rub elbows with.
  4. The interesting hardware vendors with storage arrays, SANs, NAS, and other initials I don’t remember.

It was all good and thanks to everyone that went for making it SCALE 6x the level of fun and enjoyment than its been before.

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