Melbourne gets linux.conf.au guernsey

The conference, organised by the nation's peak open source body Linux Australia (LA), has since 1999 brought pre-eminent open source developers Down Under for a week-long technical conference once a year. Previous attendees have included Linux creator Linus Torvalds, UK-based kernel hacker Alan Cox and local Samba creator Andrew Tridgell.

"This year the [venue] decision was particularly tough, with well-presented bids from Melbourne and Hobart," LA president Jonathon Oxer said in an e-mailed statement. "Both proposals contained a lot of flair, and Hobart as a potential destination was definitely a draw card for many people."

But Oxer added the venue selection committee thought the Melbourne proposal was "more well developed".

The 2008 location will return linux.conf.au to the city where it commenced as the Conference of Australian Linux Users back in 1999.

This year's conference was held in New Zealand, with the 2007 venue being the University of New South Wales in Sydney. That event will be held in mid-January.

A Web site outlining the Melbourne organising team's plans noted they had missed out in previous efforts to host the conference and acknowledged the efforts of their Tasmanian competition.

"We have to acknowledge our competitors in this race," the site said. "Team Tasmania had us on our toes."

"We were quietly confident of doing well, having had three years to prepare our bid and sketch out our vision. But Tasmania's polished logo design and bid document had us worried."

"We have no doubt that Hobart will be a magnificent place for this conference, and I encourage the team behind the Tassie bid to do as we did. Maintain momentum and bid again for 2009."