Closing Address

Here ends the conference.

Looking back, conferences generally have overarching themes: this is the year of web frameworks, or of scientific programming, or whatever. I've been head-down all weekend, and have no idea what PyCon 2006's theme turns out to have been. Please go back and write weblog entries and post Flickr photos to tell me what the theme was.

From my planning-oriented point of view, here is how things look.

People liked the tutorials. They'll be back next year; perhaps we'll try to have 12 or 15 of them instead of 8.

The selected talks and keynotes have been more variable. People I talk to say some are good, some not so good, but different people put different talks in the same category, so the paper and topic selection seem to have been OK.

Excluding wireless, people seem generally pleased with the hotel: food has been good, the room rate good and the beds comfy, and the staff has been responsive. The ballrooms are OK, though Preston Trail and Bent Tree are bad if the room is crowded and you're at the back; we'll try to fix that.

The wireless, however, has been hated with a burning passion. Often flaky, frequently inaccessible, the service was poor. Wired access seems solid, but it wasn't advertised in the conf. materials and fewer people can use it. We'll be here again next year (date still to be announced); and will be strongly and loudly encouraging them to improve their wireless.

If my view doesn't match yours, please correct it by completing the feedback forms, whether the paper forms or the online version at us.pycon.org -- see the Kiosk page for links.

From here we move into the 4 days of sprints. At 3:35PM, there will be a session for sprint introductions in the Preston Trail room. Sprint teams can assemble together, decide what their goals will be, and begin getting set up for the work ahead.

At 4:45PM, current and future PyCon staffers will be meeting in Preston Trail to discuss how the conference went and begin discussing and planning the 2007 conference. If you want to help, please stop by!

A last round of thanks...

The Python Software Foundation is the non-profit organization that makes PyCon possible by taking on the financial risk of booking the venues far in advance of receiving the money for registrations. The PSF also uses its financial resources to protect the intellectual property behind Python, keeping it free, and for development grants and in other areas where some money can make a difference to the community. If you work at a company that uses Python, please consider having your company become a sponsor member of the PSF. Or, please contribute to the PSF by making donations through the website. The PSF is a 501(c)3 non-profit so US tax payers can deduct donations from their taxes.

I thank the planning committee, and all volunteers who have done a great job of running the reg. desk, chairing sessions, stuffing bags, and helping keep the conference going. They have made the conference possible.

And finally I thank you, the audience. PyCon is a playground for the Python community to enjoy, and a place to build and connect. It has been my pleasure and honour to help. Thank you for coming. See you next year!

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