OSCON Java® 2011 Call for Participation

Call closed 11:59pm 03/28/2011 PDT.

Open source is the heartbeat of Java. From enterprise to the web, mobile and cloud, open source innovation and collaboration drive Java forward.

The inaugural OSCON Java^® will cover the breadth of open source in the Java platform, from core frameworks to the cutting edge of new projects and JVM languages. We’re looking for speakers to join us in sharing their expertise, vision and experience.

OSCON Java will take place Monday, July 25, through Wednesday, July 27, 2011, in Portland, Oregon (co-located with OSCON itself).

Proposals should include as much detail about the topic and format for the presentation as possible. Vague and overly broad proposals don’t showcase your skills and knowledge, and our volunteer reviewers aren’t mind readers. The more you can tell us, the more likely the proposal will be selected.

Proposals that seem like a “vendor pitch” will not be considered. The purpose of OSCON Java is to enlighten, not to sell.

If you are one or more of the following:

• Server-side Java developer
• Java web UI developer
• Client-side Java developer
• Android mobile developer
• Open source contributor
• Developer tool author
• JVM language guru
• Night hacker

We invite you to submit a proposal to lead conference sessions or workshops at OSCON Java 2011.

Some of the topics we’re on the lookout for are:

• Server-side Java technologies
• Java web frameworks
• Emerging JVM languages
• Open source Java tools
• Rich client technologies
• Cloud techologies
• Mobile development

Proposals will be considered for the following types of presentations:

• 40 minute presentations
• 90 minute workshops (should be of immediate practical application)

Limited speaking opportunities are also available through conference sponsorship. Contact Sharon Cordesse at (707) 827-7065 or scordesse@oreilly.com for more information.

What if I submitted a Java proposal for OSCON already?

We’ll be using the Java-related proposals we received for OSCON as we consider the sessions to include in OSCON Java. If you have any questions, please contact our speaker manager Shirley Bailes.

Some tips for writing a good proposal for a good talk:

• Help us understand why your presentation is the right one for OSCON Java.
• Keep the audience in mind: they’re technical, professional, and already pretty smart. They also will smell a marketing pitch.
• Clearly identify the level of the talk and why people will want to attend: is it for beginners to the topic, or for gurus? Is this a trending topic, or an installation tutorial?
• Give it a simple and straightforward title or name: fancy and clever titles or descriptions make it harder for people (committee and attendees) to figure out what you’re really talking about
• Limit the scope of the talk: in 40 minutes, expect to pick a useful aspect of a topic; a particular technique; or walk through a simple program
• Pages of code are unreadable: mere mortals can deal with code a line at a time.
• Be authentic! Your peers need original presentation ideas that focus real-world scenarios, relevant examples, and knowledge transfer
• If you are proposing a panel, tell us who else would be on it
• Does your presentation have the participation of a woman, person of color, or member of another group often underrepresented at tech conferences? Diversity is one of the factors we seriously consider when reviewing proposals as we seek to broaden our speaker roster

Above all else

Present something relevant. One of your challenges as a proposer is to demonstrate that you understand that attendees might need an extra reason to pay attention to something that they might otherwise think of as "settled."

Other resources to help write your proposals:

• See the list of sessions chosen for the OSCON 2010 program and read their descriptions
• Watch video from previous OSCONs
• See speaker presentation files from 2010

Important Dates

Call for Participation Closes – March 28, 2011
Program Announced and Registration Opens – April 2011
All proposers notified – Early April 2011

Oracle and Java are registered trademarks of Oracle and/or its affiliates. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners.

Submit your proposal