Noel Bergman

DevTech, Inc.

Laptop Linux: Arrive Dependent on MS-Windows, Leave Living with Linux

For more and more people, the question isn't WHY to ditch Microsoft Windows, it is HOW do it. How do you install and configure Linux to fully support your hardware, and run the applications you need? This is particularly true of the laptop computers that we all travel with these days.

This session addresses the issues faced when living with Linux on a laptop computer. Topics include managing Bluetooth, WIFI, dual-displays, fingerprint reader, WebCam, virtualization (including exposing devices to the guests), firewire, playing commercial DVDs, how to use an external USB drive for testing before you make the leap, etc. Included will be war stories, tips and tricks, recipes, and more.

Although we will not install Linux during the session, I'll try to organize a BOF and other unofficial, volunteer assistance for anyone who comes to Software Summit prepared to make the switch. So backup your laptop, and we'll see you at "The Summit!" :-)

Business Processes: Big Business' Secret Weapon Is Now Available to Everyone!

Big Business has a secret weapon in its IT arsenal. That secret weapon, heretofore costly, has allowed IT departments to respond faster, be more nimble, be more effective, and collaborate better with non-IT parts of the enterprise. That secret weapon allows its users to better understand and document how their business works. What is this secret weapon? What can possibly deliver these benefits?

This secret weapon is the Business Process. Business Processes can capture how a business performs a business task in a formalized, executable manner. Business Analysts can model and evaluate changes in processes. Business Processes can be standardized and exchanged amongst partners. Business Processes execute in run-time environments designed to support long-running, asynchronous processes.

This presentation dovetails with Doug Tidwell's "The All-Singing, All-Dancing Business Process" talk. In Doug's talk, you'll learn to use Apache ODE, Tuscany (SCA and SDO) and XForms. In this talk, you will learn more details about WS-BPEL, the standard for describing Business Processes.

Specific topics to be covered in this session include standard WS-BPEL activities, flows, transactions and compensation, event handling, fault handling, and more.

Noel Bergman is one of Colorado Software Summit's All-Timers, having participated in all of the Colorado Software Summit conferences (and their predecessors, the ColoradOS/2 conferences), and has consistently received high marks as a favored speaker. Noel's background in leading edge technology spans over 25 years, and he enjoys sharing the knowledge and experience acquired over those years with Software Summit attendees, both in and out of the formal sessions. Noel is a Member of the Apache Software Foundation, where he is Vice President of the Apache Incubator, a member of the Infrastructure Team, and an active participant in various projects. Noel's presentations for CSS 2008 are intended to introduce new skills in emerging technologies that will improve productivity and marketability, with a goal to enable attendees to immediately benefit from such technologies in their own projects. Email: noel@devtech.com