Open Source Bridge

If you can't reproduce your work reliably then you can't maintain it. You may get by for a while with ad-hoc build/release/deployment processes, but sooner or later they'll bite you. We'll present a new practical approach to assembling both software products and installed systems, drawing inspiration from sources including the functional programming community, commercial software projects, large IT deployments, and Linux distributions like Debian. Slides available at http://apters.com/osbridge2011.pdf

Have a project that just needs some cash to get off the ground? Need someone to fund beer and food for an event? Have a great idea and want to get paid for implementing it? Come find out how we did it.

How many times have you received an email or phone call from a potential client who describes their project in a few sentences and expects a formal proposal the next day? This session will address this seemingly impossible task by going over the method we have created at OpenSourcery to estimate web projects. This method has helped us work with clients to prioritize functionality, set realistic schedules, and has improved our ability to close sales.

Anyone can show how to save the world. We tell how to receive unsolicited love letters while doing it.

It took me two years to get a master's in tech management. I save you $40K and give you the short version.

Come join me as I dispel some of the clouds of pollution which obscure the name of marketing, show how it can help your projects, reveal how--whether you realize it or not--you already use marketing every day and how that's a very good thing indeed.

Learn from open source community leaders who work on projects big and small.

Developing more effective habits isn't just for the good guys. We'll discuss seven methodologies that make trolls more effective---and tell you what you can do about it.

As you can see we get a "403 Forbidden" in response to our "POST /integer/5/increment"...can anyone tell me why? It worked when we did "PUT /variable/x/let/integer/5" followed by "POST /variable/x/increment", so why can't we do it directly?

Practical cartographic geekery for accidental and padawan mapmakers: a crash course in Mapping 101 where we'll talk about the anatomy of maps and what you need to know when creating them. Topics include cartographic standards, projections, visualization, and the fine art of finding, deciphering, and using geodata and metadata. Included will be examples of the good, the bad, and the ugly, as well as resources for further exploration.

Tests are great - except when they aren't. Learn how to avoid writing tests that are more trouble than they're worth.

A holistic approach to design for people through sketching, product blueprints, and team overlap (used by Apple and others).

It may seem obvious to some, but the socialist imagery that Mozilla uses isn't accidental. Nor is the grounding of Activity Streams in socialist theory. What do these things have to do with open source an its future? A lot, and I'll paint a picture to tell you how it should play out.

How does free software help defend free speech in repressive regimes? Danny O'Brien will draw from the records of the Committee to Protect Journalists to explore how open source can help those at the cutting edge of free expression.

Creating functional requirements as a part of the planning process is like creating a treasure map. You want to get compensated for the value your cool built-with-open-source-thing is providing to your clients. Your clients want it to work better than what they originally had in mind. If you do the work upfront, you'll know when you've hit the X marks the spot.

As a "software person," I found the hard technologies of building with steel and wood made for a very different creative and hacking process. At the same time, I discovered many parallels to software development, embedded hardware, and even open-source philosophies.

It's not enough to have a website. You need to have your website (and your business) be findable, and not drive normal people (eg, everyone but you and your web designer) nuts. And you need to make sure that Google has it right. Here's how.

Markus: Nautilus? I thought you said noodle house! Matt: Wait, wait, I think I see her head!! Markus: Are you sure? Matt: Maybe It's Not Her Head...

Selena loves Git and EmmaJane loves Bazaar. And like all good nerds they've spent a fair amount of time talkin' smack about the other's version control system (VCS). Come see what the fuss is all about!

Code sprints are events where developers quickly complete coding tasks in a collaborative environment. A panel of skilled developers will share their experiences for organizing effective code sprints so you can better participate and organize your own. The panel members have organized and participated in over a hundred sprints (ranging from Django to JRuby) and used sprints as the primary way to develop community-oriented projects (e.g., Calagator). While most of the discussion will be about volunteer-run open source code sprints, many of the ideas will be readily applicable to improving development at your workplace. The panel will offer practical, actionable advice that you can use and answer your questions.

Building novel and robust applications with Firefox

You click on a link and you can't get to your favorite web site. Now what? Is the web site down? Is it your connection? Is it something in between? How can you figure out what's wrong if you don't know how it works? We'll show you everything that happens after you click a link so next time the web site is down you'll know what to do to fix it.

Paper prototyping is the fastest, cheapest way to test your user interface designs. To prove it, in 45 minutes we'll walk through several rounds of prototyping and testing a small application.

Featuring Mayor Sam Adams and Ward Cunningham