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Why a Boost Conference?

Since its inception in 1998, Boost has been growing steadily in size, scope, and popularity. Today, Boost’s 75+ libraries are part of numerous commercial applications, are packaged with every major Linux distribution, and are used as a must-pass testbed for every serious C++ compiler. By the spring of 2006, it became apparent that there had been an explosion of interest. Among other things:

  • Demand for Boost-related training was way up
  • We were hearing stories of Boost adoption in the C++ mainstream like never before
  • Scott Meyers (among others) gave two Boost-related presentations at SD West
  • All Boost talks at SD West were heavily attended
  • Mailing list traffic had continued to increase, on both the Boost developer’s and the Boost user’s lists

Still, Boost is still in some ways a well-kept secret. It sometimes seems as though most C++ programmers are still working with the bare-bones facilities of the current C++ standard library (often with limited power).

In light of Boost’s growing popularity and its potential to reach many more developers, and with TR1 and becoming more relevant to all C++ programmers, it was time to kick things into high gear, and a conference seemed like the perfect vehicle. We’ve gone far with our online process, but there’s no substitute for face-to-face contact when building a strong and vibrant community.

Initial conference capacity is less than 100 registrants, so we recommend securing your place early. Contingency plans are in place that may allow expansion if demand runs high, but it’s important to us that the first few conferences stay small enough to assure you a quality experience. Registrants past the initial quota will be waitlisted.

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