Business of Software 2009
a Joel On Software Conference
Fall 2009 - Boston, MA
We will start organizing Business of Software 2009 soon. In the meantime, if you're interested in building long-term, sustainable and profitable software businesses then join the Business of Software social networking site
Last Year's Conference (2007)
Business of Software 2007 was a huge success. 150 attendees came from 30 US states and 12 different countries, from as far afield as Brazil, Mexico, Denmark and the Czech Republic.
91% of the attendees said they'd consider returning in 2008, and 94% of the attendees gave the conference a 4 or 5 star rating. The average rating was 4.25 out of 5.
You can see a selection of quotes from last year's attendees on the right-hand side panel.
Last year's program
Last year's speakers included Guy Kawasaki, Joel Spolsky, Eric Sink, Rick Chapman and Hugh MacLeod. You can see the full list of speakers and the topics in last year's program (.pdf)
Videos
Here are videos of some of the sessions from last year.
Alberto Savoia on Crappy Code
Alberto Savoia gives a great talk about crappy code, what it is and how to avoid it. Alberto is a wonderful speaker with a lot to say (90% of the conference attendees gave his talk 4 or 5 stars).
Matt Mason on the Pirate's Dilemma
Matt's thesis is that piracy can be a good thing. Pirates are bellwethers, flagging the existence of emerging markets. Rather than fighting them, we should consider competing, or even co-operating, with them.
Steve Johnson on Software: Business or Hobby?
Steve Johnson of Pragmatic Marketing won last year's Software Idol competition. Steve rails against CEOs, marketers, CFOs, engineers and just about everybody else in the software industry. It's entertaining and thought-provoking.
Eric Sink on Marketing for Geeks
Eric talks about why he founded SourceGear, marketing for geeks and other topics. His talk went down extremely well out with conference attendees, with 85% ranking his talk 4 or 5 stars.
Curious what happened last year?
Business of Software 2007 was a huge success. 150 attendees came from 30 US states and 12 different countries, from as far afield as Brazil, Mexico, Denmark and the Czech Republic.
Amazing conference. It will be tough to beat.
Chris Kemp, I Love Rewards Inc.
Excellent content! Good food for thought!
Matt Ruma, President, Creative Logic
Great variety of topics. There were many moments where I felt validated or was shown our company's flaws. I'm not a developer but it was the right level of 'technical'!
Anon
Day one alone was worth the price of admission - great work on getting great speakers.
Austin Salonen, Lead Developer, SGS Mid-West Seed Services
Business of Software 2008 is sponsored by
Very diverse, great speakers. Great variety, great logistics. Thanks!
Felix Trepanier , Technical Lead, OZ Communications
Excellent speakers. It's what I came for and it's what I got.
Anon
Excellent overall. Great speakers, great content. Ton of opportunities to network.
Scott Lawrence, Software Development Manager, APS Healthcare Inc
The combination of small, intimate size and a diverse list of speakers made this the most valuable and provoking conference I've been to in a long time. It's a significant achievement that from every speaker I've come away with either something quite profound to consider or something concrete to do.
Rob Muir, Development Manager,FINCAD
I'm glad this type of conference is finally taking place. Thanks for your efforts.
Jennifer Desha, Project Manager, Numira Biosciences
Best conference!
Mark Belliveau, VP Marketing, Normsoft Inc
Some really excellent speakers. Liked the mix.
Anon
Thanks! Great conference
Joe Crevino, Development Supervisor, LAN International
I feel like I'm a lot more prepared to do my job after being here and will be more successful in the future as well. Thanks a lot!
Anon
Great job on the conference! The site and accommodation were excellent. An amazing experience!
Bryan Dykstra, Director of Business Development, Creative Logic