Maxed Out
Because the System i can run at redline speed all day long . . .
April 1, 2008
Guest Blog: It's Like Drinking Nyquil and Watching 'Gone With the Wind'
As soon as I left the check-in desk at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center, I was instantly and irreversibly lost. Less a hotel than a climate-controlled, densely foliated M.C. Escher painting, the site of this year's COMMON is a maze of arched bridges, bubbling fountains, and curved staircases, all gilt in pseudo-antebellum décor. If you want to replicate the experience, drink half a bottle of Nyquil and watch Gone With the Wind (colorized).
I'm exaggerating a bit. There is a certain charm to the place, once you've resigned yourself to the long aimless strolls between the convention center and your hotel room. And COMMON has a definite energy this year — V6R1 is fresh out of the oven, IBM is making a major announcement at the town hall meeting on Wednesday, and the expo hall is buzzing. However, as fun as it is to speculate, there's a lot to do before Wednesday — for now, it's business as usual, with plenty of informative sessions for attendees of all experience levels, and a packed expo hall full of vendors with new products to show off.
The crowd is younger than usual this year. The familiar faces are still here, manning the booths and leading workshops and sessions, but "First-Time Attendee" ribbons are abundant, and the under-35 demographic made a strong showing. COMMON calls them Young i5/OS Professionals (YiPs), and has a special meeting for them at each convention. Last year, about 10 showed up for the meeting, but I saw at least twice that in the first hour on the Expo floor. (There's also a Retired i5/OS Professionals (RiPs) group for those who enjoy a little gallows humor with their cutesy acronyms).
It's going to be fun to watch the week unfold. I've never personally witnessed a major IBM announcement or its aftermath — will the crowd throw flowers or tomatoes? I don't know yet whether it's simply the afterglow from the V6R1 release, the surreal, terrarium-like venue, or the plethora of open bars on the Expo floor last night, but there's a definite energy in the air. Will the town hall meeting live up to expectations? Will I even be able to find it? I'll let you know Thursday.
— Derek Maness, associate editor
Posted by rsanders at April 1, 2008 9:54 AM
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