Greetings from sunny L.A.! I'm scurrying around before we finish setting up our Linux Pro and Ubuntu User booth, but I thought I'd post a quick update on the first day at SCALE 8x. It looks like attendance is up quite a bit over last year, which bodes well for both the event and the economy. Several old friends are noticeably absent and missed this year, while there are also a lot of new faces – I met several first-time SCALE attendees yesterday and a couple of first-time open source event attendees, too. SCALE is a great 'gateway' event for first-timers because if its relaxed atmosphere, affordability, and jam-packed schedule with options for everyone.

That jam-packed schedule created some dilemmas yesterday when we all had to choose between many tempting sessions. A couple of times I slipped out of one session to catch part of another one across the hall; too many great sessions to choose from is a REALLY great problem to have at events. I spent most of the day at the Women in Open Source track, which was exceptionally good this year. (I'll save my summary of those talks for a longer post.)

Now I'm headed out to finish setting up our booth – If you made it to SCALE8x, be sure to swing by Booth #9 for free copies of Linux Pro Magazine and Ubuntu User. You can also sign up for subscriptions to either magazine (or even better, sign up for BOTH!). Test drive Linux Pro with our handy dandy trial offer: 3 issues + 3 DVDs for only $3!

(When you stop by a booth and realize you've seen their products on the covers and in the pages of Linux Pro and/or Ubuntu User, let them know!)

Hope to see you on the expo floor!