We are proud to announce the upcoming Utah Spring Code Camp taking place on Saturday, 26 April at Neumont University in South Jordan. The event begins at 9:00 a.m.

If you go to the < http://www.utcodecamp.com/ > site, one of the first things you may notice is that this has traditionally been an event for software developers working on Microsoft platforms and, more recently, Apple platforms. The organizers are eager to include the open source developer community in these events going forward.

Registration is required to attend and should not set you back too much because registration is FREE!

Neumont University is at 10701 South River Front Parkway, Suite 300, in South Jordan. Here’s a convenient link to a Google Map to the location.

Here is an official blurb about the event:

The Code Camp is a one day training put on by local volunteers in your community. We have presentations ranging on all sorts of topics for Dba’s to Developers. We will have several tracks running throughout the day. You can check on the website for a current list of speakers and sessions. The Code Camp is open to all technologies and is a great place to get together with others and network.

We will have lots of giveaways including software, game system, and Ipod.

We are still looking for a few more speaker spots if you are interested in speaking.

Should you have any questions please visit the website or email. Pwright@medicity.com

The 2008 Utah Open Source Conference is coming up fast, as you know. If you would like to present on a topic at the conference, there’s no time like NOW to whip up a response to the Call For Papers  (if you have not already).

You only have until June 1 to get that paper turned in. You can submit your proposed topic by going to the 2008 Utah Open Source Conference website and clicking on the Call For Papers link.

If you’re not sure where to begin, check out our previous blog post about the Call For Papers.

Not only is 2008 the second year we will be holding the Utah Open Source Conference, it is also the second year we will be recognizing and awarding four remarkable individuals as part of the Utah Open Source Awards ceremony at the conference.

The Utah Open Source Awards will be given in four categories:

• Business
• Community
• Technology
• Education

In 2007, awards were given in three categories as the Education category was not added until this year. The recipients of the 2007 Utah Open Source Awards were:

• Matt Asay of Alfresco (Business) for his work evangelizing open source software in business
• Brandon Beattie (Technology) for his excellent contributions to the MythTV project
• Christer Edwards (Community) for his leadership in the Ubuntu Utah project

Now is the time for you to close your eyes and search deep in the crevices of your mind of who within the local community has made a positive impact on your experience using open source software. It could be someone who writes helpful documentation or blog posts. Perhaps you know someone who has developed valuable open source software. Maybe it’s someone who has made a difference in encouraging adoption and understanding of open source software. Whoever it is, concentrate on them. Now, imagine them receiving a big round of applause and a cool gift as thanks from the community. Okay, open your eyes.

When you have thought of at least one person, send a quick e-mail message to awards@utos.org with the name and a brief explanation of why you think this person is deserving of a Utah Open Source Award. There’s no limit to how many people you can nominate, but you can only submit nominations until August 1.

Winners will be announced (and awarded) during the 2008 Utah Open Source Conference held August 28-30, 2008 at the Salt Lake Community College Redwood Campus.

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

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!