First Ever Asian Apache Conference
The first ever Asian edition of the popular ApacheCon technology conference will be held from the 14th to the 17th of August, 2006 at the Trans Asia Hotel, Colombo. This is the first time ApacheCon is happening outside the US or Europe.
Sri Lanka is priviledged to host the very first ApacheCon in Asia which
is a testament to the commitment from the Sri Lankan developer
community. Sri Lanka has a lot of presence in the Apache Software
Foundation specially in the Web Services space where many projects like
Apache Axis2, Sandesha, Neethi, are driven by local developers.
Dr Sanjiva Weerawarana who was elected a member of the Apache Software Foundation in 2003 where he is active in the web services projects. He is also the founder of the Lanka Software Foundation (LSF) said “The Apache Software Foundation is the home of many market leading open source products, starting with the infamous Apache Web server of course. It is an honour for Sri Lanka to host the first ever Asian gathering of this prestigious group!”.
The Apache Software Foundation(ASF) which is the organization behind the Apache http server that runs about 70% of all sites on the internet and a multitude of other open-source projects, provides support for the Apache community of open-source software projects. ASF projects are characterized by a collaborative, consensus based development process, an open and pragmatic software license, and a desire to create high quality software that leads the way in its field. Apache considers itself not simply as a group of projects sharing a server, but rather a community of developers and users. They believe that if you build a good community then that community will make great software.
ApacheCon Asia will be the classic meeting ground for these developers, ASF members, business folks and power users. Set in an informal, hands-on environment, the event promises to offer an effective forum for exchanging ideas and as well as plenty of opportunities to network with peers.
Talking about his experience of speaking and attending several ApacheCons’ in US and Europe Mr Ajith Ranabahu had to say this about the conference “ApacheCon is one of the most comprehensive technical conferences for the open source community. My experience in several ApacheCons including Europe and US, both as a speaker and a participant is that it is a very useful conference to learn the Apache technologies. It also brings together the community that exists in the mailing lists and forums.”.
The conference begins with two main conference days that offer a wide range of beginner, intermediate and advanced sessions, aimed at both the developer and the user. ApacheCon Asia will offer attendees a choice of two tracks and more than 16 sessions to gain real-world insight into the latest developments of many key Open Source projects managed by ASF. The conference will also feature three world renowned key note speakers. Plus there will be a day of intensive tutorials in three tracks. More information can be found at http://asia.apachecon.com/conference/program/
Another interesting event on the program are the BoFs, meaning Birds Of a Feather (flocking together!). This is an informal discussion group where you can speak your mind.They are often formed ad hoc to consider a specific issue and, therefore, has a narrow focus. During the duration of the ApacheCon main conference continues, a four day hackathon is being organized, which is a continuous marathon of coding relating to Apache project of ones choice. In addition the main conference will also feature a panel discussion and lighting talks. The early bird discount expires on the 4th of August. So hurry and register now for ApacheCon Asia 2006 at http://asia.apachecon.com/conference/register/
ApacheCon Asia will provide an excellent opportunity to experience first-hand what Apache technologies and development communities can do for you and your enterprise. You will be able to meet the big players, inside experts and independent innovators at this annual gathering of all things Apache. One can share their knowledge, hit upon new ideas, find solutions and connect with peers at this educational, fun-filled gathering of users, developers, and vendors of Apache software.
The Apache conference is a part of a week long schedule under the FOSSSL 2006 umbrella. There will be sessions, workshops, community gatherings, and fun. FOSSSL 2006 will be kicked off by FOSSSchool, a seminar aimed at schools and universities to educate them on the advantages of using Free and Open Source software and to also provide hands on training on various open source platforms.
The week will end with FOSS Enterprise, an event aimed at the decision makers of the IT industry and FOSSFEAST for the CEO community.For the Developer community the week ends with
