Everyone’s excited about the upcoming openSUSE Summit in Orlando, Florida next month and now there is a full itinerary tailored just for you. The openSUSE Summit, a 100% free event, is the first-ever gathering of the openSUSE Community in North America and follows on the success of the annual openSUSE Conference in Europe. It immediately follows SUSECon at the same hotel.

[Where and When](//summit.opensuse.org/Location):Caribe Royale HotelOrlando, FloridaBegins: Friday, September 21 - 2:00 p.m.Ends: Sunday, September 23 - 3:15 p.m.

Why You Should Go

We’ve got sessions and workshops and awesome events to keep you busy the entire weekend. The Summit is not only a chance to learn the latest technologies but also to meet your fellow Geekos from near and far. We’ve already got registrations from as far away as Central America, Europe, Russia and Asia.

Don’t miss this opportunity to collaborate and bring out the best that open source has to offer

SUSECon

Registration to the openSUSE Summit is free. But if you register by September 14, you’ll gain free access to the SUSECon enterprise conference’s Friday sessions. With this free admission, you’ll be able to check out the Friday Technology Showcase and attend SUSE’s closing ceremony.

Sessions

Just check out our program guide and you’ll see why there’s something or everyone. We’ve got topics ranging from openSUSE YaST to running openSUSE on your ARM device, to cloud computing and much more. Our evening Ad Hoc BoF sessions opens up every room in the house so you can create your very own session.

Workshops

We’ve got three exciting workshops that will give you some serious street creds by the time you go home.

LPIC Exam Cram - - Register for the Summit by September 14, and you can come a day early and gain free access to SUSECon’s LPIC Exam Cram presented by the Linux Professional Institute. Prepare yourself to earn one of the most respected professional exams in the world. Then, take the exam on Friday. (Two time slots available) for a special conference discount rate. We’ll be announcing more details about how you can take advantage of this special offer soon.

Packaging Made Ridiculously Easy - Join SUSE’s Craig Gardner on Friday afternoon as he shows you just how easy it is to be an RPM packaging expert. This workshop lays out the foundation you need to make software deployment successful.

How to Work with Open Build Service (OBS) - Now that you’ve armed yourself with RPM expertise, you’ll want to deploy your favorite software for mass consumption. SUSE’s Adrian Schroeter teaches you how to master OBS and get your packages out across multiple distributions. OBS is an awesome piece of software used by many organizations including Linux Foundation, Intel, Dell, Renault, and the U.S. Postal Service..

openSUSE Around The World

[caption id=”attachment_13844” align=”aligncenter” width=”300”] Left: Michael Miller - Right: Andrew Wafaa[/caption]

Join Michael Miller, Vice President of SUSE and Andrew Wafaa, openSUSE Board Member, as they host the opening ceremoy that officially kicks off the openSUSE Summit. They’ll take you on a tour around the world highlighting the awesome activities by the community supporting the openSUSE Project. Then hear about the great things openSUSE 12.2 distro has to offer. 12.2 is slated for release on September 5. Come to this ceremony and you’ll be able to brag that you were the first to get your hands on the free openSUSE 12.2 DVD!

Geeko Nights

openSUSE wouldn’t live up to its motto “Have a lot of fun!” if we didn’t plan some exciting evening events and the SUmmit is no exception!

ownCloud Geeko Games Poolside Party - On Friday night, ownCloud “Your Cloud, Your Data, Your Way!” sponsors dinner and games by the poolside at our hotel. There’s prizes for everyone as we give you boat kits to build, decorate and be the first to race across the pool. You better pack your swimsuit because things are gonna get wet!

openSUSE Concert - Join Luis Nieto, openSUSE user, as he belts out the tunes by the poolside. Señor Nieto is the former director of the Honduras National Band and is a nationally-renowned beloved musician in his country. A concert you won’t want to miss, and it only happens here at the openSUSE Summit.

Omnibond Luau Jam - On Saturday, Omnibond, makers of OrangeFS, hosts a Hawaiian-style luau dinner on the pato to fill your bellies and entertain you with Polynesian dancers and music. There’s a Fire Knife act that you won’t want to miss!

openSUSE Jam Session - After the luau, join Nieto as Community members take the stage and blow the roof off with a jam session. Pack your favorite musical instrument and come to the Summit to jam with everyone. This last night of the Summit won’t be forgettable as you sing, dance and get crazy with your fellow Geekos! Who knows, by the time the night is over, we just might finally have that openSUSE Anthem we’ve always wanted.

Geeko Lounge

openSUSE Geekos are a hard working creature. But that doesn’t mean we can’t take time to stop and enjoy the moment. The Geeko Lounge will remain open for the entire weekend. Plop your dupa down on our comfortable sofas and bean bags while enjoying a nice Continental Breakfast. Or come in for a quick refreshment and socialize with fellow Geekos when you need a break from the hustlle and bustle of a busy day checking out our sessions.

You’ll also have a chance to meet our sponsors and vendors with the Exhibitor area surrounding the Geeko Lounge. We’ll have tables where you can pick up information about local LUGs in the Florida region, meet the folks behind the openSUSE Forums and much more. If you’er an Ambassador, this is where you want to go to grab materials to take back home to your local events.

openSUSE General Meeting

The openSUSE Summit wraps up on Sunday with a general meeting moderated by openSUSE Board members, Alan Clark and Andrew Wafaa. Discuss news about activities within the openSUSE Community. This is where you’ll get to participate and offer your insights that help shape the direction and future of the openSUSE Project. The openSUSE Project wouldn’t exist without people like you.

So What Are You Waiting For?!?

If you’re waiting for an invitation, this is it! Visit the official openSUSE Summit website to get the full details. And follow us on Twitter with #ossum12 to get the latest news and updates as we continue to make this a truly memorable event for you and your fellow Geeko peers. All you gotta do is click that big button below and you’re set to go!