mardi mars 27, 2007

Oslo for a day

After participating in the Paris Sun Tech Days, I flew to Oslo, Norway for a day to deliver a talk on GlassFish. This was part of an Open Source Day set up by the local Sun people. Lots of people showed up and some talks included interesting use-cases using projects such as OpenESB.

This was my first time in Norway so I thought I'd gather and share a few notes/thoughts:
•  The airport is a bit far away, but the express train is very convenient.
•  I'm amazed at the number of 7-Eleven, Burger King and McDonalds shops. More than cafes in Paris it seems.
•  I arrived late but still decided to have a short walk downtown, very pleasant. It's the kind of city where walking is "natural".
•  (really not Oslo-related) but why does every desk in a hotel room has to have a glass cover? Elegant but very mouse unfriendly :)
•  Norwegian TV is a mix of English and Norwegian. I understand having 8 millions inhabitants doesn't justify dubbing all movies and series like in other countries. Still, Norway seems to have a strong national identity and language (with no need for a "cultural exceptionalism").
•  Ground floor is called the 1st floor just like in most East-European countries.
•  Speakers are offered flowers after their talk, another "Slavic/Nordic" tradition I guess.
•  No power plug adapter needed for me (good, I really didn't think of taking one with me).

I'm looking forward to staying longer more next time around. Maybe JavaZone?