• Why I came back
• Yesterday

They will explain our rationale behind this decision.

But that does not mean that our events have ended! Read these two entries as well:

• Technology Is Not Enough
• PRODUCTISE.IN: The Successor to FOSS.IN

Our new event, which we have started organising, is called PRODUCTISE.IN, and is on December 5-7 in Bangalore. Hop over to the web site and register your interest – more information will appear soon!

To all the people who supported (or didn’t!) FOSS.IN over all these years – many thanks for making it interesting for everyone, including us!

See you all at

And we also didn’t want one of the “big names” either.

And so we scanned our “options” and quickly settled on someone who had no clue what was about to happen when we pinged him. Not only was he not likely to be at FOSS.IN – he wasn’t even in India!

So it started with an innocent DM on Twitter, saying “So we have a talk slot open – you interested?”, and slowly reeled him in.

The final keynote speaker of the final FOSS.IN is Aanjhan Ranganathan, known to the FOSS world as “Tuxmaniac”.

Aanjhan describes himself as a Security Researcher, Hacker, Photographer, Traveler, Writer and OpenSource Enthusiast. He now works in Switzerland, but has always been a part of the Indian FOSS community, which he got his start in half a decade ago. He has spoken at FOSS.IN before, on FOSS projects which he is a big contributor to.

However, you will find out the reason why he is our keynote speaker when he takes to the big stage at 6pm today, on the final day of the final FOSS.IN.

Update: Yes, he made it – and just landed at FOSS.IN!

The Raghu Dixit Project is back at FOSS.IN!

They will will bring the curtain down on FOSS.IN on December 17th, right after the keynote and closing ceremony.

If you have never heard or seen them before – The Raghu Dixit Project is India’s fastest rising rock band, seamlessly blending folk music with a hardcore rock sound. Topped with Raghu Dixit’s powerful voice, this is an experience you should never miss. If you ever thought that “kannada ain’t cool”, then you are about to find out why Jools Holland invited them to come and perform at the BBC, why they have performed more than 50 gigs in Europe and Australia this year alone, and why people say that “Two Summers – that’s how much time it will take Raghu Dixit to become Indian rock’s biggest musical export”

So when we said that we were going to end FOSS.IN with a bang, YOU BETTER BELIEVE IT!

Lots of you have been asking what we have lined up for entertainment this year.

For the rock music lovers among us, we are pleased to announce that we have Bangalore-based rock group Fahrenheit tearing the house down on Thursday, the 16th of December, right after the daily keynote.

Fahrenheit is known for their vast repertoire of rock songs, both classics from the 60s to the present day, as well as many original numbers of their own. They are loud, they have a heavy sound, and they are great!

So make sure you don’t disappear Thursday evening – you are gonna love this show!

After this, you will still be able to register at the venue, but at the
higher cost (Rs.750 for students, Rs.1200 for regular attendees and
Rs.5500 for corporate attendees), as against the 500/1000/5000 pricing
if you register online.

So please register online right away to avoid higher costs, long queues
and delays.

As always, paying online is more convenient and transparent.
At-venue/offline payments are strictly cash.

http://foss.in/registration

While it is a personal post, you may want to read it if you have been a FOSS.IN fan (or not).

Note that some items are still TBA, and talk & speaker details will be uploaded on Monday. If you are a speaker and have an issue with your talk slot, please contact us.

Details for workouts and BoFs will go up in a little while as well.

Expo Layout (click to enlarge)

We have reserved prime space for FOSS Projects to exhibit at the event. If you wish to show your project, you can apply for tablespace. Note that space is limited, so that we can accommodate maybe 10-12 projects in the expo, but by cooperating with others, this can probably be increased.

Note that we have no PCs available for you to use, and you will have almost no time to set up stuff, so you will probably want to bring in your own PC, fully set up. Network and power connections will be provided.

Please note that you will HAVE to be a registered, paid up delegate, or a speaker in order to avail of this facility. Delegate fees are not waived for exhibitors. There are no free passes for exhibitors or their helpers!

Also note that projects sponsored/owned by commercial organizations are not eligible for free space – please ask your project sponsors to support the event by booking a commercial expo stall. Thanks for understanding.

Ready? Then apply here!

Folks, its that time of the year when we come looking for help. FOSS.IN runs with the love and affection of the community. This also means that several of you out there come and assist the team as volunteers. We do try and take care of you, and in the end everyone has a good time. If you would like to help, head out to the volunteer registration form. Fill out the form and come join the madness, the chaos and the fun!

See you at FOSS.IN/2010.

Right up front, and again in the top slot, is our Technology Sponsor, Nokia!

Technology Sponsor

Next up, we are thrilled to have our very first sponsor from 2001, Hewlett Packard, back as our Gold Sponsor!

Gold Sponsor

And our Silver Sponsor, who was also the first one off the blocks, which enabled us to even get started, is Open Source Consulting firm Collabora!

Silver Sponsor

Many thanks to our sponsors, without whom FOSS.IN/2010 would not have been possible! Everyone, please make sure you catch hold of them at the event and thank them personally!