I've already mentioned the fun that will be php|tek 2009 in this space but there's so much going on between now and then… right here in Washington, DC!
First we have DrupalConDC here in March. It's going to be a huge event with hundreds (over a thousand?) Drupal'ers coming from all over the country and the world to trade ideas, kick around new ones, and see what happens. The sessions are still being selected but there are easily over a hundred to choose from ranging from jQuery to Enterprise Drupal to Drupal 7 to Why I hate Drupal. I'll be there – and am an Individual Sponsor – and I'm already looking forward to it. The community has been in a buzz for months over it.
One of the keynotes I'm looking forward to the most is from Drupal founder Dries Buytaert on the State of Drupal, it's community, and where it's going.
Next, we have WordCamp Mid-Atlantic on 16 May 2009. Although I'm not a WordPress guy, I have to respect what the WordPress Community and leadership have accomplished. They've put a set of robust yet simple tools in the hands of tens of thousands of people who have done even bigger and better things with them. It is one of the most common blogging platforms out there and this is a meeting of the minds… bringing many of the best, brightest, and most active people together in one place.
One of the highlights of the day will be Matt Mullenweg… the founder of Automattic and more importantly WordPress itself. I'm looking forward to hearing Matt's perspective on the community and where it's going.
Anil Dash on the other hand could be interesting. I'm attending with a Drupal background and looking to share/steal ideas… which Anil is looking to do on an even grander scale. To put it in organizer Aaron Brazell's words:
The premise of the offer was to provide Anil an opportunity to speak directly to the WordPress community with the understanding that we all learn from each other, regardless of the platforms we choose to use. This is an opportunity for a coming together, and an opportunity to learn.
So we have the founders and major players of two of the major PHP Content Management Systems. More than anything, we will have hundreds and hundreds of smart people in and around DC to trade ideas and see what happens… 2009 is going to be fun. 🙂