Open Source Bridge is a new conference for developers working with open source technologies. It will take place June 17-19 in Portland, OR, with five tracks connecting people across projects, languages, and backgrounds to explore how we do our work, and why we participate in open source. The conference structure is designed to provide developers with an opportunity to learn from people they might not connect with at other events.

Through this conference, we hope to answer a question: what are the rights and responsibilities of an open source citizen? As developers, we find ourselves in many roles; we are users, creators, and leaders. The Open Source Bridge team believes that our role as open source citizens informs our work whether we are conscious of it or not. Open Source Bridge is intended as a call to action to become better citizens, by sharing our knowledge with each other.

In addition to conference sessions, the conference includes two dedicated “hacker lounge” spaces for attendees to hang out, schedule code sprints, and connect with each other. One will be at the Oregon Convention Center, and one at the Hilton Portland, Executive Tower, our official conference hotel.

Outside of the conference, Portland offers many attractions for visiting geeks: Powell’s technical books, dozens of local brewpubs, and large green spaces like Forest Park, all accessible by mass transit.


We have a thriving local user group community, with many events posted on calagator.org.

Registration is open now. Please go to http://opensourcebridge.org/ attend to find out more. We are also seeking proposals for talks, through March 31st. You can read the full call for proposals at opensourcebridge.org/call-for-proposals.

OSB is providing a user group discount code that will allow members to register for $150, which is lower than the early bird rate and $100 off our regular registration. Enter “osb4228″ when you register to receive the discount, and be sure to mention which user group you’re a part of.

Open Source Bridge is a 100% volunteer-run, non-profit conference. Find out how to get involved at opensourcebridge.org.