AstriCon 2010 is set to take place this October. With a new location, a new focus and new surprises, Digium's (
News -
Alert) John Todd and Steve Sokol are anticipating another great event. TMCnet's Erik Linask recently talked with Todd and Sokol in a
podcast.
The second in a two part series, this podcast featured Todd and Sokol talking about the new location and the many exciting and unique feature users, developers and vendors will find at AstriCon 2010.
The first question in this podcast centered on the changing location of this year's event from Arizona to Maryland. While AstriCon enjoyed three great years in Phoenix, it was time to make a change. Sometimes change is good and for some people, Phoenix is inconvenient. It was time to mix it up and a lot of folks in Europe would appreciate a shorter plane ride.
Code Zone is something specific to AstriCon. The Code Zone is a room that is a quiet space set up for coders or those who want to write code. AstriCon is often the only opportunity some individuals have to get face time with others in the industry and can work with developers to get things hashed out quickly. This year, they will have machines set up in the room to do some testing of new codes and solutions.
As for the topics in conference sessions and presents attendees should expect, it is fairly wide ranging. There are four main categories this year: Asterisk (
News -
Alert) Essentials Track, Case Studies Track, Add-On Track and Platforms Solutions Track. Sometimes they will be very technical or will be broader, depending upon the track. There also will be new technology discussions and feature sets to give people an idea of where things are going.
To get presenters, Digium sends out requests for ideas or request for papers as they want people to ask questions and offer ways to make Asterisk better. Those people who have done real-world things with Asterisk are those who are invited to share. They will often sit down after the talks to share code. Speakers are generally teachers, providing value to attendees. The call for papers is still open and will be open for some time.
The theme for this year is Back to the Basics, or actually back to the technical aspects of Asterisk. Every year, Digium conducts a survey at the end of the conference and a consistent comment is that people want to see more technical talks; they want to learn more and walk away with details and understanding of new ideas. They want solid information and learning session with quality take-aways.
As for what to expect new this year, there are several that can be accessed on the Asterisk website, while others will be a surprise for attendees. To learn more, check out this
podcast in full.
Susan J. Campbell is a contributing editor for TMCnet and has also written for eastbiz.com. To read more of Susan's articles, please visit her columnist page.Edited by
Marisa Torrieri
How to Reduce Asterisk® System Loads by 70%
How to Reduce Asterisk® System Loads by 70%