Happy 10th Anniversary, Tech Days

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One evening over dinner in 1997, two Sun employees had an inspiration: Wouldn't it be great to create a traveling worldwide developer conference where developers could learn about the Java platform and Solaris products? Soon they were brainstorming with colleagues in an effort to make it happen. They refined and elaborated the concept, received approval for a budget, and, in the fall of 1998, five Sun Tech Days conferences were held in Europe, the first of which had a total of 300 attendees. Now, Tech Days, which has emerged as a series of rich, globe-spanning events, celebrates its tenth year.

Tech Days has evolved from its initial five-city tour that addressed 5,000 developers to its FY2007 15-city tour of four continents that reached more than 100,000 developers, including 37,000 in person. Attendees were able to share knowledge, improve their development skills in hands-on labs, network with fellow developers, and gain support and a sense of community with fellow Java developers.

While Tech Days initially focused on Java, now it includes Solaris/Tools and NetBeans, along with sessions led by Sun's Java University and professors from distinguished universities who share recent developments in academia. Corporate events and a Partner Alliance Program are also key parts of Tech Days. What began with one day/one track sessions now typically comprises three days with four tracks and a wealth of diverse programs. Over the years, a full day has been added for community events that include OpenSolaris, GlassFish and more. And even though Sun has been offering Tech Days for ten years, an average of 40% of attendees each year are new.

The Sun Tech Days team continues to work hard. In the past year, expert-led technical sessions on Solaris, for example, helped developers deliver secure and reliable mission-critical applications and services. In addition, targeted Java SE, EE and ME instruction highlighted ways to develop portable, server-side applications as well as to implement enterprise-class SOA and Web 2.0 apps.

Tech Days are spirited and lively events, known for their tee-shirt tosses, free Java books, and above all, for Java jacket giveaways in which brave volunteers are invited to appear on stage and display "strange and unusual talents" on Day 2 of each conference. Developers who can barely carry a tune have boldly exhibited their singing voices to vie for a jacket. The most "strange and unusual talent" to manifest at Tech Days was a contortionist in Sao Paulo, Brazil, who demonstrated a bodily flexibility rarely seen by most attendees. Brazil has a well-earned reputation for the most passionate Tech Days developers - one revealing a Java tattoo on his arm. The winners, determined by audience applause, receive the coveted Java jacket. For its 10th anniversary, each Tech Days Event in FY08 will serve a cake. The most unique Tech Days giveaway was a green alien space baby.

Thus far only one speaker, failing to accurately gauge the dimensions of the stage, has fallen off.

"I've seen developers weep in James Gosling's presence. He's an icon who transcends cultural boundaries."     Renita Stafford Program Manager, Sun Microsystems

Tech Days offers developers experience with cutting-edge technology. Each Tech Days event includes an Innovation Pavilion with 15-20 exhibitors, that provides developers a chance to explore state-of-the-art hardware and software solutions created by Sun and its partners.

Tech Days attempts to articulate and transmit a vision through keynote presentations that in the past year have included Sun CEO Jonathan Schwartz, "Father of Java" Dr. James Gosling, Sun CTO Robert Brewin, and Rich Green, Sun's Executive Vice President of Software. Equally impressive has been the list of session presenters featuring Sun experts on Solaris, Java and open-source development.

Gosling, a veteran of Tech Days and its biggest draw, spoke last year to packed rooms at Tech Days events in Beijing, Kuala Lumpur, Paris, and London. "I've seen developers weep in James Gosling's presence," says Sun Program Manager Renita Stafford. "He's an icon who transcends cultural boundaries."

During Tech Days in FY2007, Gosling demonstrated how Java provides a homogeneous view of the developer's heterogeneous environment. To improve development skills, developers should, "Look beyond the idea of 'write once, run anywhere,' and focus on 'Learn once, work anywhere,'" insisted Gosling.

In recent years, Sun has pioneered a satellite program by which thousands of developers attend Tech Days through teleconferences. In 2005, Tech Days held "Java China" in which a satellite keynote was broadcast to five cities throughout the country. Similar satellite programs have been expanded first to India in three cities, and then Brazil, where developers from 12 cities witnessed general sessions. Sun attempts to reach a new city each year. The largest Tech Days presentation to date took place in Bangalore, India, where slightly fewer than 11,000 developers attended.

University Day is a free Sun event designed specifically for academic communities, including undergraduate and graduate students, faculty and administrative staff. It teaches students and programmers about the latest technologies that drive mobile computing, open source projects, security, web services, and more.

Introductory sessions are geared for university students who are challenged with Java puzzles that require them to call upon their best programming ingenuity to come up with solutions. Some sessions enable students to begin training programs that they later complete on their own.

"Just when we add more and more to Tech Days, it evolves even further than I could possibly have ever imagined."     Nichole Scott Program Manager, Sun Microsystems

Sun has recently invited local Java Champions -- developers who are celebrated by the Java community for their contributions -- to speak at Tech Days. Java Champions who have spoken at Tech Days include Heinz Kabutz, who spoke in South Africa and London.

The event that began predominantly with Java sessions offers its first system administrator session in FY08. "Just when we add more and more to Tech Days," says Nichole Scott, Program Manager at Sun, "it evolves even further than I could possibly have ever imagined. It never ceases to surprise me. Where it will be three years from now is a mystery."

Sun Tech Days at a Glance
Tech Days Event Blogs
Sun Tech Days Past Presentations
Java Champions
NetBeans World Tour
Interview with Java Champion Heinz Kabutz
Sun Tech Days