Feel free to post a new question to the bottom of the page, then other people can come and answer them.
Conference Questions
The participants page gives general advice for anyone attending EuroPython.
Who is this conference for?
The conference is aimed at all members of the Python community, whether you're just starting or you dream in bytecode. There will be lots of things going on, from an extremely advanced level to beginner.
What if I have never done programming before?
Do not worry, just come anyway, we are having a special tutorial for beginners, so it is the perfect time for you to get your feet wet. Python is one of the easiest languages to learn, and unlike most other very high-level languages, you are not painting yourself into a corner, you can create web applications, desktop applications and bash scripts.
How expensive is this conference?
The registration page will have pricing information when booking opens, but EuroPython is actually quite reasonable for a multi-day, multi-track conference with food and refreshments included.
Where is Birmingham?
Birmingham, also known as Brum and B'ham, is Britain's second biggest city, and is a really interesting place to visit. A nice side benefit is that it is a lot cheaper that London. Read more at our Birmingham page.
Where is the Conservatoire?
The address is Paradise Place. Birmingham, B3 3HG, UK.
Where do we stay?
You can arrange RoomSharing through this wiki. You can book your hotel when you register at http://www.europython.eu/registration.
Otherwise Birmingham City Centre has lots of hotels at different prices ranges, and there is a summary of the closest hotels at http://www.europython.eu/about/accommodation. Locals can sleep in their own beds if they want. If you are booking your own hotel, then be sure to get one in the centre of the city, rather than in a suburb somewhere. If talking to hotel staff, ask how far it is from Victoria Square.
How do I book extra nights once I've booked my place?
If you booked your hotel stay through the registration process (which is probably why you're asking us this question), just go to the registration page again, select the extra nights and choose "Conference Not Required", along with "Not Required" for the tutorials - the other options should be deselected automatically, but you can check the contents of the shopping cart to make sure.
How do I get there?
Birmingham is the centre of the road and rail network, New Street station is connected to over 200 towns and cities. Birmingham International Airport has its own train station, so you can fly to there and then jump on the next direct train to New Street station (10 to 15 minutes). Most other airports have a direct train connection to Birmingham (e.g. Stansted, Liverpool, Luton, etc). See our travel page for more details. The National Express is really popular in Birmingham popular too, you can take a coach from many cities and airports.
What is the deadline for talk submissions
See the calendar for information on deadlines.
When is registration opening?
Registration is open now. The Extra Early Bird rate will be available until 18th February or until 150 delegates have booked, which ever comes first. Normal Early Bird Rate will apply until 10th May. See the calendar for information on deadlines.
When is the talk schedule published?
At the end of early registration - the discount for registering early is your reward for trusting us to put on a great talks programme! See the calendar for information on important dates and events.
How can I contact the organisers?
Please look at the Contact Page.
What is Python?
Python is a high-level and rapid programming language first released in 1991. Python can be used for many kinds of software development including advanced Web applications, desktop applications and scientific computing. High-profile uses of Python have included creating a workflow automation system for Space Shuttle mission design, Python is used to create computer graphics production pipelines, 'glue' for the thousands of computers and hundreds of software components used to create films such as Star Wars, and the popular YouTube video sharing website is written in Python.
Python is a cross-platform language, which means that once a programmer creates an application, it can run unchanged on Windows, Apple Mac OS X, Linux, Unix, Sun Solaris, Nokia smart phones and many other types of computer and device.
Why should I care about Python as a Linux user?
Python is available by default in all major distributions, and you can access more or less all parts of the GNU/Linux system from Python, everything from Gnome/KDE, through to package management systems, processes, command line utilities, as well, of course by running on Apache as a web application. Code you write in Python on Linux will also work on various proprietary systems.
Why should I care about Python as a Microsoft user?
Firstly, unlike most other Microsoft languages, Python is fully-cross platform - you can write an application on Windows and then it will just work on Unix, Linux, Mac OS X; you do even need to know anything about these other platforms. A little testing might be wise, and some thought given to packaging, but apart from that there is very little to do.
Through the pywin32 module Python has bindings to the Windows platform, so as well as writing cross platform code you can take advantage of the underlying win32 APIs, COM and WMI.
As well as using Python in the normal way, Python can also run on top of the .NET Common language runtime thanks to Jim Hugunin and the Microsoft funded IronPython project. IronPython allows you to use Python as a full .NET language and use all the .NET libraries.
Why should I care about Python as a Mac user?
On OS X, you can use Apple Events (to do almost everything Applescript can do), you can use all the Native Mac and Cocoa libraries, and your program can interact with Mac applications such as Quicktime. You also have access to all the things that Applescript does not have, such as the Numeric scientific computing module, hundreds of external Python libraries and cross-platform support.
Imagine you wrote two applications in 1999. You wrote one in C and one Python. Since then, Apple has moved from OS Classic to OS X, from 32 bit to 64 bit, from big-endian PowerPC to little-endian Intel and from Carbon to Cocoa. In 2007, the C app would often be very difficult to port to an Intel Mac, the only Macs people can buy these days, so your application has become more-or-less obsolete and useless, but the Python application will either just work fine or require a few minor changes.
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