Django at PyCon

Ah, Spring... that wonderful time of year when flowers bloom, birds and bees provide useful euphemisms for tongue-tied parents, and Python hackers everywhere converge for the annual Python Conference

That's right: PyCon 2008 is only two short months away! This year's conference will be held in Chicago, and features a fantastic line-up of talks about everything Python. PyCon really is a wonderful conference, and early-bird registration is only $225 ($125 for students). I can't recommend the conference highly enough.

Of course, Django will be very well represented at PyCon, with activities for Djangonauts of all skill levels:

I'll be teaching a Beginning Django tutorial aimed at folks just getting started with Django. In past years this tutorial has filled up rapidly, so if you'd like to attend I recommend signing up soon.

Also on the tutorial day will be a Django "Code Lab" designed for people with some Django projects already under their belts. We've got a great panel of experts lined up to critique and improve your code: Adrian Holovaty, James Bennett, and yours truly.

[I should point out by way of disclaimer that I get a bit of money for teaching the tutorials. I'd promote them here anyway, of course, but I mention the compensation by way of full disclosure.]

The conference proper will feature a number of Django sessions:

• Developing reusable Django applications (James Bennett)
• Django: Under the Hood (Marty Alchin)
• The Power of Django Admin (Even For Non-Django Projects) (Steven C. Wilcox)

Adrian will also deliver a "State of the Django" talk to discuss where the project is, and where it's going.

Finally, after all the talks end, we'll hold a four-day development sprint. Anyone interested in working on Django is encouraged to attend, and note that the sprints at PyCon are open to anyone, not just PyCon attendees. So, if you're in Chicago feel free to stop on by!

I hope to see a bunch of Djangonauts at the conference. I've been to PyCon for the last few years, and it's always been fantastic. I can see from the line-up of talks that this year will be no exception.

Remember to register before Feb. 20th to take advantage of the early-bird rates!

Posted by Jacob Kaplan-Moss on January 21, 2008