Maybe then, the tickets wouldn't sell out within the first 45 mins (a good thing for developers who really want to go learn and network).
- No free stuff.
- A registration site not subcontracted out to a third party who sets up a Cold Fusion application to handle ticketing.
- Dedicated press passes for the keynotes so that reporters/bloggers et al don't clog up the rest of the conference (this one may already be true, I'm unclear).
The state of the registration system last year was shameful for a company that makes the lion's share of its revenue from the web.
Indie devs can book flights and hotels to visit San Francisco regardless of whether they have an I/O ticket or not. If they don't get a ticket they can organise their week around other events e.g. work at coworking spaces, attend tech events, meet friends, some sight-seeing etc.
Companies could arrange a similar schedule for their employees. Just being in San Francisco to network and meet potential partners and clients is as valuable as attending I/O sessions.
An added bonus of knowing the dates early is that you can now plan your family vacation or company off-site without worrying about potentially missing out on a tech conference.
EDIT: http://googlecode.blogspot.com/2011/10/save-date-for-google-...
initially announced on Oct 17, 2011. Changed on November 28, 2011. Dates of the event shifted from April 24-25 to June 27-29, 2012.
I'd like to know your impressions.
I spoke at one of those events. It was pleasant, and I met some interesting folks. Looking back, it would have been perfectly alright to skip the satellite event.
I'm saying later next year, but it could easily be at IO.
All the groundwork is there and there's little stopping Android being adopted as a 'real' OS.
There is really no reason for them to change it. There are hundreds of thousands of people interested and a few seats. They'll sell out and be the dominant search engine regardless. Sadly that leaves it more luck of the draw than anything else.
