CodeStock 2010: The Year We Connect

Check out some of the cool things developers have done with the CodeStock API!

First is CodeStock Groups by David Staab of Cadre5 (one of the awesome CodeStock Sponsors!).  CodeStock Groups lets you compare your schedule with that of your friends and co-workers.  Check it out at http://codestockgroups.appspot.com/ and if you see David maybe you can talk him into giving a behind the scenes tour at a CodeStock open space.

The second is a CodeStock Android App by CodeStock Speaker Roger Heim.  With this app you can view the CodeStock session list, see your personal schedule built with the CodeStock session builder, check out the conference center map, and check out speaker bios.  The app will soon be in the Android Marketplace, but if you can’t wait you can download it directly (as well as see the source code!) from http://code.google.com/p/codestock2010/  Roger will be covering Android development in his session A High Level Overview of Android Development

There is still time to register for CodeStock, and if you haven’t yet booked a room there are still some available at the Hilton, right across from the conference center (details on the CodeStock room rate at http://codestock.org/Location-and-Hotels.aspx).

Hope to see you next week!

Michael C. Neel
CodeStock Lead Organizer

The agenda has been posted and we’ve added a Schedule Builder to the site.  To access the Schedule Builder, visit the registration page and enter your registration code.  Can’t find your code?  No worries, we’ve added a form to look up your code and send it to your email address.

Once you’ve entered your code, click Schedule Builder button and start adding sessions.  You can add more than one session per time slot, so if you have a tough time choosing between sessions put down both and decide later.  You’ll also find on this page a link to view your schedule – this link doesn’t require your registration code to view, so you can share it among other attendees.  There is even a mobile version of the page.

(If you curious, my schedule would look like this – if I wasn’t busy running the conference!)

The API got a touch up as well.  Version 1.0 is unchanged, expect that room names and session times are no longer placeholders.  Version 2.0 changes are based on feedback and separate out the data into different feeds.  There is also a method to get an attendee schedule.

Since it normally takes me an iteration or two to get down decent usability (maybe I need to add this to my schedule), if you have any questions on using the Schedule Builder drop me an email at help@codestock.org and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.

Only three weeks left!

We now have a API!

Well, it’s more of a data feed at the moment.  A simple data feed of sessions and speakers, available in XML and JSON.

The data includes sessions dates and times, to make it easy to build a CodeStock Schedule App.  The schedule isn’t set yet – that will happen next week – so there is placeholder data for now.

If you build anything with this data, please let us know – we’ll be happy to link to your app and get the word out!

The CodeStock API

  Yes, this is a CodeStock email telling you about another conference, DevLink! 

DevLink and CodeStock have a very close relationship – it was DevLink’s Chairman John Kellar who showed me the reality of running a technology conference.  From getting the venue to creating the budget, John shared his experiences from years of running a conference.

Nashville, TN was recently hit hard by devastating floods.  This caused the Agile 2010 Conference to move from Nashville to Orlando, FL.  I was relieved to see an email today that DevLink’s venue, Lipscomb University, wasn’t impacted by the floods and DevLink is “still rollin’”!  So I’m sending this email to help get the word out that plans for DevLink haven’t changed because of the flood. 

By the way, if you'd like to help with the recovery efforts, you can text "REDCROSS" to 90999 to donate $10 to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund.  If you want to get your hands dirty, Hands On Nashville is coordinating volunteer efforts in the city (follow @honashville on Twitter for volunteer news).

It goes without saying (I’m saying it anyway) that I want you to attend CodeStock, but I also recommend  DevLink (August 5-7) as well.  I will be speaking there and enjoying the sessions and open spaces (I often call DevLink my vacation after CodeStock).

While CodeStock and DevLink are similar, they are not identical.  Different topics, and even different tracks.  If you are interested in hearing a discussion of what it takes to run a conference, John and I both well be guests of David Giard’s panel at CodeStock "What does it take to put on a great conference?" along with some other great conference leaders.

Hope to see you at CodeStock & DevLink!

Michael C. Neel
CodeStock Lead Organizer

Yesterday, May 1st 2010, Cicelie (the amazing woman who has done all of the CodeStock logo, mascot, and t-shirt designs) and I were married!

Today is supposed to be the last day attendees can register at the early bird pricing to CodeStock 2010.  That also means I’ll get several emails from people having waited until the last minute to register wanting to debate the origins of the Gregorian calendar.  Since posting this message will be my only internet activity this weekend (well, plus some twitter), it is better if I invite everyone to share the honeymoon by adding an extra week to early bird pricing.

Early bird pricing now ends Sunday May 9th, 2010

That’s a week from today.  By then I will have returned to my normal heartless self that will not be swayed by claims of time zone calculation errors. 

Michael C. Neel
CodeStock Lead Organizer