Malaysia Open Source Conference 2011

I may have led some of my friends to believe that I went on a second honeymoon in Batu Ferringhi Beach, Penang, Malaysia earlier this month. I am not sure if I should say this, but reality is quite far removed from the truth. My family and I were actually there not completely for pleasure, but for business purpose.

My family went down to the Northern of Penang for Malaysia Open Source Conference 2011. The event was held in Bayview Beach Resort, Batu Ferringi, Penang from 3rd to 5th July 2011.

Being an Open Source supporter, I have no high expectation on this event,, considering that despite of it being a community based conference, the way the organizers organized this conference is much more similar to those conference done by our government- where community does not exactly have much say in decision making and whatnot.

Call me stereotyping, but it doesn’t help my confidence either especially when the way they organized  this whole thing is practically similar to Linux Varsity Skudai 2010- where certain university has more say in the event decision making and whatnot instead of the community who are supposed to be in charge of the event in the first place.

It is beyond my comprehension why the Malaysian Open Source Conference must be done in Penang. Marketing-wise, it would make much more sense if the event was held in Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya or Cyberjaya. Correct me if I’m wrong, but this event is aimed to educate corporate companies on open source awareness, is it not? Most IT-based companies’ headquarters is not in Penang, am I right? Tsk…really made me wonder why it must be done in Penang. Sponsor problems, I assume? There must be backstage ball-gripping and yadda yadda dictatorship stunt was going on somewhere. *TSK*

Anyway, while the conference attract loads of walk-in visitors as well as students (freebies galore… *roll eyes*), it is still a disappointment to me as INTERNET CONNECTION WAS PRACTICALLY NONEXISTENT in Malaysia Open Source Conference 2011. Where the hell was the ISP sponsor? Hmm, no idea. (*shakes head… not marketable, of course no ISP sponsors! Who the hell wanna sponsor something that could not benefit them in return anyway*)

What a shame. An IT event without reliable Internet connection. Completely laughable, I must say. And to think they chose a venue with unreliable Internet connection. It is like eating fried rice, minus the rice or drinking milkshake, without the milk!

Another thing is that the issues of speakers and the topic of their speech. I was rather disappointed. I was expecting something more… interesting. But then again, this is individual opinion.

Anyway, if my husband did not need to attend the small-scale graduation ceremony over there in the Malaysian Open Source Conference 2011, I would have declared that this event is not worth attending and a complete waste of time, effort and money. To me, an IT conference that failed to have a proper Internet connection is not even worth my consideration, what more paying to attend it to listen to paid speech.

Sometimes I wonder what good does it make if the concept is good but the execution is….’questionable’?

Anyway, at the end of the day, I am extremely glad that I did not give any of the organizer my media contacts, or my friends who is still practicing in media line would have laughed at me for not having an insight to warn them that live reporting, live blogging, live streaming and whatnot would have not been possible due to the lack of Internet connection. Phew! At least I did not loose face and made the members of the media laugh in my face for being bloody foolish- an IT conference where Internet connection is practically nonexistent…quite a joke, I must say!

Cleffairy: Was forced to consider that bloody trip as a honeymoon or a short vacation, or her blood would boil and she’d go on and on seething like a cat being poured cold water.

10 comments

    • Cleffairy says:

      I was speechless when I went…they have no ISP sponsor, and the venue’s Internet is practically non-existent. *pengsan* Lucky I din ajak kawan go… else sure I kena marah lo…why go to IT conference but tarak Internet? *PENGSAN*

  1. Twilight Man says:

    LOL… This was funny that an IT event with no internet lines. Just like a bank without cash loans. I do know that there were many big IT factories in Penang ahead of other states like HP, Motorola, AMD and many others while the marketing teams are always in KL.

    • Cleffairy says:

      Exactly…usualy factories are from Penang and the admin teams and whatnot are in KL…and the ppl that went, amazingly are not really from Penang. Most are from KL, so I really have to say that someone somewhere must have wanted a vacation or honeymoon desperately that they did it in Batu Ferringhi. So cilaka, very inconvenient… if those ppl who came by flight, summore so susah wanna move around!

      Tsk…the no ISP sponsor was the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard about an IT event, period!

    • Cleffairy says:

      Yalo… imagine that, u turn on ur phone or netbook in this event, den the internet… ilek…and you cannot check email and stuff… if you’re a reporter and wanna do live streaming or wud, confirm cannot lo… terbalik pulak you had to use ur own broadband to online. Really dumb lo… betul betul like makan nasi lemak without the nasi!

  2. Twilight Man says:

    I rate that Penang has the worst public transport system. I wonder why New York Times voted Penang as the TOP 2nd Must visit place in the world? I think they went around in a limo while in Penang. LOL

    • Cleffairy says:

      Tsk… I have no idea why. The lack of efficient public transport in Penang made me wonder why they want to host the event over there… Ferringhi, no less. Rather far for airport, very inconvenient for people who mostly comes for outstation for the event.

      Unless of course…some newlyweds wanna honeymoon there and whatnot.. that might be a different case.

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