NCSU Hosts One-Day Introduction to Open Source

Open Source 101 is an all day world-class introduction to open source for only $10 — and the price includes lunch. Where’s the profit in that?

It’s something of a grand experiment and it’s being being hosted this weekend on the campus of North Carolina State University in Raleigh. What it is might be called a miniconference, but let’s not call it that. “Mini” indicates smallness, and there’s nothing small about this event, even if it is only a single day affair.

Let’s call it a full fledged conference. The students attending will like that. It’ll make them feel important and so grown-up — which they are, actually. They’ll be able to feign weariness as they roll their eyes and tell friends they can’t meetup at the pizza pallor on Saturday because “I”m attending a conference.” Their friends will be secretly impressed, but won’t let on and will act like that’s the most natural thing in the world.

The event is called Open Source 101. I don’t know how it is now, but when I was going to school, the numbers “101” in the name of any class meant “Introduction to…” English 101 meant “Introduction to English.” American History 101 meant “Introduction American history.” It said so right in the catalog...