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Press release: Record-Breaking Submissions to PyCon 2011

(Little of this is news to faithful readers of the PyCon blog... but we wanted to gather some of the exciting developments in a press-release style format.)

ATLANTA - February 10, 2011

PyCon 2011 has broken all existing PyCon records for content submitted by the Python community.

Since its beginning in 2003, PyCon has been a community conference, relying on Python-loving volunteers for its speakers and organizers. For PyCon 2011, over 250 submissions to present talks and tutorials poured in - far more than in any previous year. From these, a rich conference has been created for Python users of every level - from novice-level talks and tutorials to the new Extreme PyCon track for the fearless. The program topics span the range of Python programming:

PyCon 2011 Talks: http://us.pycon.org/2011/schedule/lists/talks/
PyCon 2011 Tutorials: http://us.pycon.org/2011/schedule/tutorials/

PyCon 2010's poster session packed the poster hall with enthusiastic attendees. This year the poster session has doubled in size to 34 posters, bringing attendees face-to-face with experts on exciting new developments in Python programming.

PyCon 2011 Posters: http://us.pycon.org/2011/schedule/lists/posters/

Arguably PyCon's most vibrant aspect - the informal and semi-formal user-provided content - can't be put on a schedule. For example:

  • Dozens of user-scheduled Open Space sessions stimulate deep topical discussions.

  • Five-minute Lightning Talks are high-intensity streams of exciting ideas.

  • Four days of Development Sprints (http://us.pycon.org/2011/sprints/) let programmers advance important Python projects while working closely with some of the greatest programmers in the Python world.

  • Countless impromptu hallway chats show the Python community to be as friendly as it is smart.

All this spontaneous content is likely to be bigger than ever before. Early registration numbers show that attendance is on course to surpass PyCon 2010 - the largest PyCon ever. The PyCon organizers this year have set a cap of 1500 on attendance. This is the first time such a limit has ever been required.

This year's keynote addresses bring amazing achievers to inspire the community onward. Hilary Mason, lead scientist at Bit.ly, is joined by engineers and founders from Python-using startups Dropbox, Disqus, Threadless, and OpenStack - and, of course, by Guido van Rossum, Python's creator.

PyCon 2011 Keynotes: http://us.pycon.org/2011/home/keynotes/

The growing importance of Python and PyCon is vividly illustrated by the long list of companies stepping forward to support the conference. PyCon 2011 is sponsored by technical giants Google (Diamond sponsor) and Microsoft (Platinum sponsor) as well as twenty-six other technology-embracing companies: Walt Disney Animation Studios, Nasuni, Rackspace, JetBrains, CCP, Linode, Canonical, Github, Atlassian, WhiteOak, Evite, ZeOmega, ActiveState, Dropbox, FreshBooks, Accense, Wingware, Imaginary Landscape, Net-ng, Revsys, Esri, Loggly, Disqus, Emma, OpenEnd, and Enthought.

PyCon 2011 will be held March 9-17 at the Hyatt Regency in Atlanta, Georgia. March 9-10 are set aside for tutorials, 11-13 for the main conference, and 14-17 for the Development Sprints. Registration is open now at http://us.pycon.org/2011/tickets/.

About Python

Python is an open-source, dynamically typed, object-oriented programming language that can be used in nearly the entire range of technology applications. It offers an easy learning curve and access to a vast array of libraries. With implementations available for all common operating systems as well as the Java and .NET platforms, Python can be used on virtually any system in existence. By combining clear and reliable code with rapid productivity and a vigorous development community, Python has become a favorite from major enterprises to the newest startups. Winner of the TIOBE Programming Language Award and the Linux Journal Readers' Choice Best Programming Language awards in 2010, Python has become an indispensable part of the technology landscape.

About PyCon

Presented by the Python Software Foundation and sponsored by Google, the world’s largest Python conference brings together a diverse group of developers, enthusiasts, and organizations to explore new challenges, launch new businesses and forge new connections within the Python community. PyCon provides attendees with the opportunity to delve into the dynamic programming language relied upon by institutions from MIT and NASA to Cisco and Walt Disney. PyCon helps people learn new tools and techniques, present their own projects, and meet other Python fans. Press passes to the conference are available for members of the press who would like to witness PyCon in person.

PyCon: http://us.pycon.org
Python language website: http://python.org
Python Software Foundation: http://www.python.org/psf/
TIOBE Index: http://www.tiobe.com/index.php/content/paperinfo/tpci/index.html
Linux Journal Readers' Choice: http://www.linuxjournal.com/content/readers-choice-awards-2010

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