SCALE 14X Friday
One of the fears — one of the many in having an established conference at a brand spanking new venue — is this: Suppose they gave an outstanding Friday keynote, and nobody came? All those sleepless nights worrying about it were essentially for naught, since Cory Doctorow’s keynote at SCALE 14X Friday was a standing room only success.
The keynote kicked off yet another day of SCALE at its new digs, and the Pasadena Convention Center has gotten high marks among attendees. The wide-open exhibit hall, holding 143 exhibitors, was a complete hit with both attendees and vendors alike.
UbuCon held its second day with some morning sessions followed by its usual “unconference” format in the afternoon. PostgreSQL Days continued on Friday, upping its game to a two-day event with database-driven talks and demonstrations. A wide variety of sessions filled the day while the expo hall, opening a little late, provided the crowd with their sought-after software and swag.
Meanwhile in the SCALE Press Room, Hacker Public Radio’s Matthew Williams got the journalistic golden ticket — a one-on-one interview with Mark Shuttleworth, who gave the UbuCon keynote and will give the Saturday SCALE 14X keynote. Of course, at the next table sat yours truly, you know, doing his job as the media traffic cop for the event. I looked over at Mark during the interview and thought to myself, “You know, I can take him.” Just kidding (well, I really can, but I wouldn’t) — but to his credit, Williams conducted a good interview in which he kept The Mark’s feet to the fire and asked some pertinently relevant questions in a very tactful manner.
The day ended in typical SCALE fashion — UpSCALE talks went without a hitch, and while they had a hard time getting started, Bad Voltage Live — featuring Jono Bacon, Stuart Langridge, Jeremy Garcia and Bryan Lunduke — finally got rolling and was its usual ribald show.
What to expect Saturday: Saturday kicks off with Mark Shuttleworth’s SCALE 14X keynote on “Open Source in the World of App Stores,” which will be followed again by a wide range of talks for every level of Linux/FOSS user. SCALE’s Linux Installfest takes place Saturday, where the expo provides those who want to start using Linux an opportunity to learn how. Korora is the star here, and the new users will be installing this Fedora-based distro on their computers as they start their journey on Linux. The exhibit hall opens at 10, and as an added feature, SCALE’s “The Next Generation” starts with all-day sessions organized for youth by youth. The day wraps up with The Weakest Geek game followed by Game Night.
See you tomorrow.
We’re currently in the midst of our 2016 Indiegogo fundraising drive. Your support is crucial. Won’t you please visit our fundraising page and make a contribution to support FOSS Force?
Larry Cafiero, a.k.a. Larry the Free Software Guy, is a journalist and a Free/Open Source Software advocate. He is involved in several FOSS projects and serves as the publicity chair for the Southern California Linux Expo. Follow him on Twitter: @lcafiero
