Geeks in Boston

Want to learn all about Google’s new mobile platform, Android? Google is running a one-day event at the Charles Hotel in Harvard Square. The event is free but registration is limited. See the blog post and registration form.

I’m happy to see even the slightest hint of freedom in mobile software, although I think the best is yet to come in Android. Sure, they can have a nice Java application SDK, but in a world where most important apps are web apps, mobile phone programming will always be a second priority. Why not focus instead on building a really kickass mobile web browser, with something like Google Gears integrated in order to allow connectionless operation?

Maybe I’ll go and ask that question in person.

If the week wasn’t crazy enough already, the monthly Web Innovators Group is holding a meeting on the 10th.

If you haven’t been to one before, here is the general jist of it. A few people give 10-15 minute long demos, typically of a startup they are working on. This is the main dish. Then several more people talk briefly (1-5 minutes) on their startup. All have booths setup on the perimeter of the area for you to check out. From there, it’s networking, schmoozing, and what have you. It’s a good sized crowd, with several hundred at the last meeting.

There’s a lot going on in September, in the second week alone!

First up is Sun Tech Days, Tuesday September 11th through 12th. You like Java? You got it. Topics will include Java EE 6, Java SE 7, JSF, Java ME, scripting with JRuby, and NetBeans. Check out their site for more details and to register for free.

Next we have the monthly New England Java User Group meeting. This month, Ryan Cuprak will be giving a tour of the open source offerings for Java. Utilizing open source solutions can give you more time to focus on your core concerns, rather than developing and maintaining your own version of the Wheel. This month’s meeting will be held again at Sun’s Campus in Burlington. See their site for more details and to register. As always, registration and pizza dinner is free.

Friday September 14th through 16th is the New England Software Symposium 2007: Fall Edition. I had the opportunity to attend last fall’s conference, and it was an amazing experience. Two and a half days, 5 tracks, lots of amazing speakers. This is a very technical-oriented conference with no marketing fluff whatsoever. The only downside is that it is a bit pricey, making this a nice thing to try to get your company to expense. The early bird special ends Monday, August 24th for $750, and then $850 after that. You can get a $50 discount if you use the coupon ‘nfjsusergroup50′, courtesy of NEJUG. If you do go, here are some tips:

• Be well rested before the weekend starts, and get enough sleep over the weekend. It’s an intense weekend, and you will be exhausted by the end.
• Engage with the speakers, as well as with other attendees. I noticed not many people actually talked to the speakers between sessions, and I was able to talk one-on-one with several of them.

Last on the billet is DevHouse Boston 3 on Sunday September 16th. I had an awesome time at the last DevHouse back in June. I liken the experience to a LAN party, except with coding. The basic gist of it is everyone starts gathering around 10am, and shortly after, each person has a few moments to introduce themselves, what skillsets they have, and what project ideas they have to work on that day. Then there is a breakout, and people start forming groups to work on a project for the rest of the day. And then the coding starts, with breaks for lunch and dinner. After dinner, each group has an opportunity to demo the fruits of their labor, and following this, share a few drinks before everyone heads their own way. I have a few suggestions if you do get attend:

• Register early, and provide an accurate accounting of your mad skillz, and provide your website / blog
• Check out other attendees info ahead of time
• Think of something to work on ahead of time, and post it to the ideas section
• Check out other project ideas ahead of time
• Be there promptly at 10. After initial introductions, and projects start, it may be a bit more difficult to get into things

Edit: I was reminded that the New England Software Symposium has five, not three, concurrent tracks.

DevHouse Boston 1 was great… and it’s been too long. I’m looking forward to working with some new people and ideas at Dev House Boston 2!

O’Reilly is hosting the first Ignite Boston event at Tommy Doyle’s in Harvard Square on May 31 at 6pm. Andy Oram reports that this event will be both technical and friendly, and since it’s held in a pub, you can drink during Scott Berkun’s keynote. Which I’m guessing will be delivered from the same stage where I’ve previously sung karaoke.

They’re also still seeking proposals for 5-minute talks, so if you have a cool project or experience to discuss, sign on up.

I’m rewriting this post to note, with relief, that http://devboston.pbwiki.com/ is back to normal. See you tomorrow!

Do you have a backlog of cool project ideas you’re just itching to work on?

Would you enjoy meeting up with a bunch of other hackers and designers, for one intense day of design and development?

Then come to the first DevHouseBoston event on Saturday, December 9 at 11am at Permabit near Kendall Square. Food and wifi will be provided; teams and projects will be assembled on the fly.

DevHouseBoston info and registration

DevHouseBoston #1 is a production of Brian Del Vecchio, John Resig, Shimon Rura, and Patrick Haney. Can you buy us some pizza? Join our email list and become a sponsor.

The Boston Startup Meetup (join the email list) is an informal local gathering of people interested in startups. We’ve been meeting since Fall 2005, mostly for dinners, and meetings tend to have about 25-35 people at all levels of startup experience — from hackers with a cool idea to serial entrepreneurs and investors.

DATE: Tuesday, October 3rd at 7:00pm
PLACE: Smile Thai Cafe, 16-18 Eliot St, Harvard Sq ( http://www.smilethaicafe.com/ )

RSVP: http://www.evite.com/pages/invite/viewInvite.jsp?event=IBDXHRCXXRJXKRQTIXYN

I hope to see many familiar and many new faces!

Shimon Rura

John Resig, Patrick Haney, and I are plotting to bring SuperHappyDevHouse to Boston. SHDH is an event for hackers to get together, build cool things, and just hang out. It’s informal and unstructured, and will probably have between 20 and 50 participants. We need a venue that can accomodate about that many people with space and wifi for one weekend day and/or night. Location preferably T-accessible in Cambridge/Boston. A corporate office or large house would work great. Any ideas?

The Boston Startup Meetup (email list) is an informal local gathering of people interested in startups.  We’ve been meeting since Fall 2005, mostly for dinners, and meetings tend to have about 25-35 people at all levels of startup experience — from hackers with a cool idea to serial entrepreneurs and investors.

DATE: Thursday, July 6th at 7:00pm
PLACE: Smile Thai Cafe, 16-18 Eliot St, Harvard Sq (http://www.smilethaicafe.com/)

RSVP: http://www.evite.com/schedule/view?event=QAMCXOQNUQQEYNPKNINJ

I hope to see you there!

shimon.