PYCON 2005 - THIRD ANNUAL PYTHON DEVELOPERS CONFERENCE
Keynote Speech by Jim Hugunin, author of IronPython.

FREDERICKSBURG, Va., December 27, 2004 -- PyCon 2005, the third annual Python developers' conference, will be held at George Washington University's Cafritz Conference Center in Washington DC on March 23-25, 2005. The keynote speaker will be Jim Hugunin, author of IronPython. IronPython is a new implementation of the Python programming language for the Microsoft .NET and open-source Mono platforms.

PyCon is a community-oriented conference targeting developers interested in Python, a powerful open source programming language. The conference provides opportunities to learn about significant advances in the Python development community and to meet fellow developers from around the world. The conference program will include peer-reviewed presentations, impromptu talks, and meetings for planning future development.

"PyCon brings together Python users of all types, from newbies to veterans, to exchange ideas, work on code, discuss future directions for the language, and in general to foster the continued success and growth of the Python technology base. This is a community-oriented conference and the Python community includes everyone, from grade schoolers just learning about computer science, to renowned scientists interested in using the best tools, to business people looking for a secret weapon," said Guido van Rossum, creator of Python.

PyCon 2005 is organized by members of the Python community, and made possible by the Python Software Foundation and conference sponsors.

Early bird conference registration costs $175 US ($125 for students) through January 28. Regular per-registration after that date will cost $250 ($175 for students), and $300 ($225 for students) at the conference.

For more information or to register, please visit the PyCon 2005 website: www.python.org/pycon/2005.

Coding Sprints

The conference will be preceded by 4 days of coding sprints on March 19-22. Sprints are intensive coding sessions focusing on a particular problem, and they give an opportunity for face-to-face collaboration between developers who normally communicate online. Participation in sprints is free of charge and open to all.

Planning for the sprints is taking place on the web at www.python.org/moin/PyConDC2005/Sprints.

About Python

Python is a powerful object-oriented programming language that is developed and maintained by a global community of open source developers under the oversight of the Python Software Foundation.

Python is very easy to learn for programmers familiar with other languages such as C, C++, Java, and Visual Basic, and can significantly increase programmer productivity. It is often characterized as an agile language that promotes speedy development and includes a unit-testing framework for building more robust applications. Python is often used in large system development to decrease software costs, mitigate risk, and meet aggressive schedules. The language is the basis of applications used by tens of thousands of companies and organizations worldwide, and its user base is growing rapidly.

Key features of Python include:

• Object orientation, modular name spaces, exceptions, and multi-threading
• High-level dynamic data typing and very late binding
• Tight integration with C, C++, and Java modules
• May be compiled to Java byte code for use in any JVM
• String and regular expression processing
• Extensive XML and web services support
• HTTP, FTP, SMTP, POP, IMAP, NNTP, telnet, and other IP protocols
• HTML, MIME, base64, binhex, uuencode, and other internet data handling
• GUI development and multimedia services
• Unit testing, profiling, and documentation generation
• Available third party modules for database access, scientific computation, visualization, 3D modeling, image processing, LDAP, WebDAV, jabber, MIDI, game development, and much more

Python runs on Microsoft Windows(R), Mac OS X, Linux, Unix, OS/2, WinCE, and many other operating systems. Full source code is available for the language and associated standard libraries.

Additional information and downloads are available at www.python.org.

About the PSF

The Python Software Foundation (PSF) is a non-profit organization devoted to advancing Open Source technology related to the Python programming language. The PSF holds the intellectual property rights to Python and plans to fund portions of future development of the language. Additional information on the PSF is available at www.python.org/psf. To make a tax-deductible donation, please visit www.python.org/psf/donations/. Corporate sponsorships are also being accepted.

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