Software Developer Swell at GIDS 2009

Cutting-edge topics, luminary speakers, over 3200 talented delegates, leading IT brands as sponsors and the biggest summit for software developers in this part of the world - Great Indian Developer Summit (GIDS) Season II concluded on 25th April with a spectacular awards ceremony. The 2009 edition of Saltmarch Media's annual Great Indian Developer Summit, centered around the theme of Tools, Tips, Technologies and Tomfoolery to Beat the Downturn, featured a convergence of three on-the-radar co-located conferences that dealt with relevant and timely technical information for India's IT developer ecosystem. For both veterans and newcomers to the world of .NET, Java, Rich Web and COBOL, the Great Indian Developer Summit provided participants with a well-balanced learning experience that guaranteed they went back with a richer understanding of the technologies that make a difference to their careers.

"The shifting economic landscape is creating brand new opportunities for the software developer ecosystem. This is the time to learn something new, to rebuild your learning of technologies and regroup with your peer network. Simply put, this is the time to stay competitive and to make the downturn work for you," said Dilip Thomas, Program Chair and CEO of Saltmarch Media.

The summit featured well over 120 incisive sessions that addressed topical and timely technology issues. The sessions were presented by over 75 speakers who shared their experiences, technical & market knowledge, and innovations, through keynotes, focused sessions, chalk talks and hands-on workshops. Speakers included visionaries, creators, luminaries and authorities from the world of software development and information technology.

Most organization's start tightening their purse strings during challenging economic cycles and IT investments are most usually the first casualty. "When your organization goes into IT spend hibernation mode, your choices are to focus on saving money through reducing inefficiencies or creating money by harnessing innovative technologies, or both," said Indu Britto, SVP & Group Publisher, Saltmarch Media. "Software implemented smartly can help organisations survive difficult times, but the approach should perhaps be altered. In tough economic times, I believe that in addition to smart approaches to software development the most important decision occurs before the first line of code is written. For this to happen, it is simply important for you to rebuild and re-educate yourself to new and innovative tools, tips and technologies," she added.

Great Indian Developer Summit 2009 was chaired by Shri. M N Vidyshankar, Chief Election Officer & Former Principal IT Secretary, Government of Karnataka and supported by some of the world's largest IT companies including Micro Focus, Adobe, Microsoft, Sony Ericsson Developer World, SAP BusinessObjects, Intel and RedHat among others.

Download all the available GIDS 09 presentation decks. Look up the gallery to view the moments, the wins, and the rapt attention, replete with stills and videos. The awards pages provide a window to the 2009 finalists and winners who emerged after three rigorous stages of evaluation. The blogs capture the brickbats and bouquets GIDS 2009 received from stakeholders. The press section houses a choice collection of the media reports written around GIDS 2009. Wrap up the GIDS 2009 tour by watching a video (coming soon) of Cyrus Broacha go berserk at the fun-filled Great Indian Developer Awards evening. If you have not, you should also watch Motherjane, India's leading rock band, performing the Developer Anthem "Your Epitaph", specially commissioned by Saltmarch Media as an ode to India's developer ecosystem.