2008 JavaOne Conference Wrap-Up
Wherever You Go, There You Are -- and So Is Java Technology

I didn't get out much this year.

The thing about working on the SDN web content team -- the fine folks who bring you developers.sun.com, java.sun.com, the JavaOne conference site, and the content for the JavaOne Today newspaper -- is that while you are all out checking out the sessions, BOFs, and the neat schwag on the Pavilion floor, we're cranking on content.

Normally, that leaves us out of touch about anything that isn't on our content beat. We read each other's articles, and fill in the blanks that way. But this year, it was almost easier to keep track of the scope of things through the Web than it was to actually be there in the room.

The general session webcasts and replays, available at the JavaOne web site, let everyone who hadn't been able to wedge their way into the packed hall hear the message anyway. And although I didn't get to breathe the same air as Neil Young (sigh...), at least I got to hear him talk... over and over and over.

The blogging activity, both at the Conference and outside of it, was intense. There were enough blogs to fill two planets: BlogCentral at sun.com and JavaOne 2008 on planets.sun.com.

The ongoing JavaOne event in SecondLife was tremendous. Twelve events over four days, on everything from JavaFX to OpenSolaris to NetBeans. This was the first full JavaOne schedule in-world, allowing people who couldn't join us in Moscone to be connected, without having to travel. You could be anywhere in the world, and still tap into the resources available at the JavaOne conference. How green is that?

And if the avatars just weren't cutting it for you, the JavaOne contributions to YouTube were pretty entertaining. The Sun Microsystems News channel has some great stuff. And honestly, the 'Java Minute' series can be, in some ways, better than being there (no getting jostled, no standing-room-only, no backpack in the face...). Here's a tip: The cool Tommy Jr. videos are in the SDN Total Access Net channel

Having said all that, there are a few things you can't get unless you are here. The JavaOne Today newspaper, for instance. And friends, I have more fun with doing the bits for the paper than for anything else I do here. The Questions of the Day gave us some insight into what you're thinking and what you're participating in out there; the Daily Prompts crack me up; and the depth of content coverage never fails to leave me impressed, not only with what's out there to learn, but who's out there teaching it and writing about it.

Working the booths on the Pavilion floor is also good value. The SDN booth was placed well, so not only did we get an opportunity to meet many of you, but we were also standing on the cushier carpet padding -- which, let me tell you, helped a ton. Whether talking about the web demos for MySDN and DocWeb, or the mechanics of the little clicky-keychain giveaways, I spent most of my hours of duty laughing, and getting to know you, which is a wonderful thing. Hey, it got me out of the basement for a few hours!

CommunityOne, conveniently scheduled for before the real JavaOne madness starts for our group, was really amazing. Most of the folks I know who attended sessions at this free "pre-event" were still trying to process and integrate what they'd heard, even days later. It's one thing to talk about or to use open source, but it's quite another to discuss the philosophies and underpinnings of open source. "Free" and "open" have so many different meanings, and it was really inspiring to see people engage in conversations around those definitions. Can't wait to see how the discussions continue in the blogs!

And what would JavaOne be like without Rock Stars? Selected by the attendees themselves, these are individuals who are so engaged with their technologies, so enthusiastic in their presentations, that you the people voted them in as noteworthy. The superlative Rock Star interview series is worth reading through, even if you missed their sessions, so you know what to prioritize in next year's schedule.

And speaking of Schedule Builder, the SDN staff figured out a way to make that even better, by way of microformatting. Download the Mozilla Firefox plug-in Operator, and use microformats to view the schedule of JavaOne technical sessions in more detail.

Due to deadlines, this is going to print before the After Dark event, which promises to be spectacular. I may have missed Neil Young in person, but you can bet I'll be right there for Smash Mouth.

So whether you were here in person, virtually, or in-world, Java technology was there too. So many of the general sessions addressed the ubiquity of Java: I think the ease of access of the content, no matter which mode of participation you chose, supports just that. JAVA + YOU, connected.