This year has seen the start of the JUDCon series of conferences/workshops. It's interesting to look back over the last 12 months or so and see how the idea that we needed a more developer focussed event morphed into JUDCon. The team, including, though not limited to, Rayme, Bob, Cheyenne and James, have done a great job for both of the events we've had so far. But of course JUDCon has been successful for a number of reasons, including the content of the presentations as well as the quality of the attendees! Looking back, I remember being concerned that we'd miss the mark with JUDCon and that we'd have to iterate over the format significantly for a few years (I may not have said as much explicitly, but I was concerned nonetheless!) However, it seems like we got it almost right by the end of the second event and I have to say that I am very pleasantly surprised!

 

So now we're about to enter the second year for JUDCon and I'm really looking forward to it! We did great in 2010 with Boston and Berlin, but I'm hoping that we can do even better in 2011. I know that the community is behind us and wants to hear more about what we have planned for the coming years, but also wants to show how much they are also contributing to the success of JBoss technologies! JUDCon is a great venue to hear about what we have planned, whether it's for Java EE6, for Cloud, or even for Ruby! JBoss is eclectic and so is our community. I don't think I've ever seen this reflected anywhere better than at JUDCon. The passion of the developers is matched by the passion of the audience and the atmosphere is electric. If you haven't been to a JUDCon yet then I encourage you to do so. If you have been before then hopefully you'll understand why it's worth coming back.

 

We haven't got all of the details for 2011 iron out yet, but we are definitely having a couple of JUDCon events again. The first will definitely be in the US and so it's with pleasure that I can announce the dates for that: JUDCon 2011 Boston will be held on the 2nd and 3rd of May just before JBoss World. It will be multiple tacks, hackfests and unique material that you won't find at JBoss World. However, it will compliment JBoss World, so this will be a great opportunity to attend both events.

 

Unfortunately I (we) haven't figured out the themes for this first JUDCon of 2011, but you can probably guess at some of the core things we'll want to cover: JBossAS, Cloud, community and developer focus. So despite the fact we haven't quite got everything nailed down, this shouldn't prevent you all from either figuring out how you can attend in the audience or what you might want to submit in terms of a session. Both are critical to the success of any JUDCon. So put your thinking caps on! I'm hoping to announce the themes over the Christmas period, so watch this space. Though if the announcement does slip into January don't worry, it just means that some of us got waylaid by turkey, mince pies and various alcoholic beverages!

 

So with that I'll just remind you all again to get ready to submit sessions and put the dates into your calendar. And I'll also take this opportunity to wish you all a very merry festive season and thank you for supporting us over the years! JBoss is a community effort and I/we are grateful for everything the community does. Paraphrasing what my two illustrious colleagues/friends who once held my position used to say: we love you, and Onward!