See you at the BarCamp!

ApacheCon US took place in November last year. One of the great successes of the conference was the new BarCampApache, which gave attendees a unique insight into Apache Software Foundation projects, and enabled us all to share knowledge in an interactive and open way.

People had a great time at BarCamp in the US, so we’re bringing it to Europe for ApacheCon Europe 2009!

BarCamps are participatory workshops, where the content is driven by you. The schedule is determined by the participants – you pitch what sessions you want to see. Then people form groups and engage in a fun and lively discussion, kicking around ideas and passing knowledge between each other. The best thing about BarCampApache is that the workshops are very open – the participants are in control. And being open is what we’re all about.

We think BarCampApache is going to an even bigger hit in Amsterdam than it was at ApacheCon US. And it’s but one of many exciting features of this year’s European conference, which include the renowned Hackathon, Geeks for Geeks track, and focused training sessions.

To participate in BarCamp Apache, and register for ApacheCon Europe 2009, head over to our website.

Can you hack the Hackathon?

It’s like a mash-up between a marathon and a hacking session, and it’s coming to ApacheCon again this year! The Hackathon is your chance to meet up with other Apache committers and community members, and to work with them on F2F or ASF projects. For two days before the conference proper, community members will come together to grind the code, discuss the latest developments and – above all – have fun.

If you haven’t been before, don’t be shy – this is the place to find out more about what it means to be a committer, and what role the committers play in the software we all use.

And if you don’t want to get knee-deep in code, don’t panic – your views will be equally valid, and you’ll get a rare chance to put your ideas to the people who create the software you use.

The Hackathon takes place on Monday, 23 March and Tuesday, 24 March, before the main conference which runs Wednesday-Friday. We hope to see you there!

Register now!

ApacheCon Europe 2009: the taxes are like the code – free

Here's some great news for everyone who's thinking of travelling to Amsterdam for this year's ApacheCon Europe. New tax laws that have recently been passed in the Netherlands mean that this year's conference will cost 19% less than last year's. We'll also be offering more for the money by introducing several exciting new features such as BarCamp Apache.

Originally introduced during November 2008's ApacheCon US, BarCamp Apache will be making its European debut at this years ApacheCon Europe. The BarCamp teaches attendees about ASF projects in an open and interactive environment.

We also have a new track to run alongside our existing ones. The Geeks for Geeks track will dive deep into Hadoop, HTTP server, Tomcat and more. And, for the first time, all attendees can mix-and-mingle while writing code side-by-side at the Hackathon.

We hope to see you on the 23-27 March at the Movenpick Hotel in Amsterdam! Please register here.

ApacheCon launches its blog!

We've decided to start a blog to keep everyone up-to-date on ApacheCon news as ApacheCon Europe 2009 starts to draw closer. The blog will serve as a platform for the team behind ApacheCon to voice thoughts on the event, to feature speakers and sponsors, and to foster dialogue within the community.

ApacheCon is not like any other event in the Open Source community, and Apache is not like any other organisation. Our conference combines thorough training sessions and presentations from experts with unconference tracks, BarCampApache, Birds-of-a-Feather sessions, 5 minute Lightning Talks and a newly open Hackathon. The whole event is inspired by the Apache Way, encouraging two-way communication and collaboration.

With this in mind, we'd like to hear your ideas even before you arrive. We promise to read your comments here, and we'll respond too. More importantly, we promise to truly listen to what you want and to use it to shape this year's event, and future events. Tell us about your community news, your experience of past ApacheCon events, and what you think about holding the event in Amsterdam. As past attendees will confirm, ApacheCon is a massive success because of the way it brings everyone together.

Block out 23-27 March in your diary today, and register here!