X World Registrations Open

Registrations have now closed.

Sessions details for some X World sessions have now been posted, with more to come soon, and registrations have opened for the event. Early-bird registrations close June 8 – be sure to register prior to then to obtain the best rate! If you’re interested in presenting, late submissions may still be considered if submitted via our CFP form.

We have a great X World program this year, and have once again partnered with JAMF Software to bring you the latest information on OS X and iOS deployment.  We hope to see you there!

Imaging is Dead – Long Live Imaging!

Marcus Ransom, RMIT UniversityPart of XW16

DEP has revolutionised the way we approach Mac OS X deployment, but there are scenarios when this workflow is not the best approach or we simply do not have access to the required tools or systems. This session will look at the different options we have to get our Macs into production and ready for use as well as some of the tools we can use to achieve this in the most efficient way possible.

Marcus has been integrating Apple devices into various enterprise environments for over a decade, from small design studios through to large one to one iPad programs. In his current role as the Lead Apple Technician at RMIT University, he is responsible for the integration and support of the Apple fleet into the wider University. Understanding the changing Apple ecosystem and developing a community amongst Apple system administrators are two objectives that motivate him to improve the way Apple devices are supported and perceived in the wider IT environment. Marcus co-ordinates Melbourne Apple Admins (http://melbourneappleadmins.org.au) and also co-presents the MacAdmins.org podcast (http://podcast.macadmins.org)

To Bind or not to Bind, that is the Question

Marcus Ransom, RMIT UniversityPart of XW16

Binding a Mac to a directory service is the traditional way of providing authentication and authorisation in education or enterprise scenarios. Directory services such as Open Directory or Active Directory were designed when computers stayed connected to a domain 24/7 but this is often the exception rather than the rule these days. What are the options for providing integration with corporate directory services for different deployment scenarios and what sort of questions should we be asking when we are deciding on how to set up our fleet?

Marcus has been integrating Apple devices into various enterprise environments for over a decade, from small design studios through to large one to one iPad programs. In his current role as the Lead Apple Technician at RMIT University, he is responsible for the integration and support of the Apple fleet into the wider University. Understanding the changing Apple ecosystem and developing a community amongst Apple system administrators are two objectives that motivate him to improve the way Apple devices are supported and perceived in the wider IT environment. Marcus co-ordinates Melbourne Apple Admins (http://melbourneappleadmins.org.au) and also co-presents the MacAdmins.org podcast (http://podcast.macadmins.org)

Which Version is This?

Duncan McCracken, Mondada Pty LtdPart of XW16

While Major-Dot-Minor-Dot-Point-Sometimes-Dot-Revision is a widely accepted standard, it doesn’t appear to be widely used. Couple this with the need for developers to not store this information in the recommended places. Add a BYOD scenario.

Patch Management may seem like an impossible achievement.

This session will provide some interesting tips and tricks on where to look for version information, how to handle the inconsistencies between different versions of a product and, most importantly, how to leverage this information in your management suite to provide a consistent patch-level in your environment.

Duncan is the Technical Director of Mondada Pty Ltd, an organisation leading the way in creating installation packages for OS X deployment solutions.

With over 20 years working with Apple and associated products Duncan as a consultant and has worked with some of the leading integration companies at home in Australia and around the world. He is known for his willingness to adapt to new playing fields through embracing different technologies, and his knack for creating modular, re-usable solutions.

Duncan is an Apple Certified Trainer and has spoken at various Apple-centric conferences around the world, including MacSysAdmin, MacWorld and MacIT.

Mac Support and The Serenity Prayer

Peter Wells, UNSW AustraliaPart of XW16

A sequel to last year’s presentation, we’re continuing to focus on what’s best for our customers, even if that means constant or drastic changes.

When supporting Macs in an enterprise environment, it’s worth remembering the Serenity Prayer: God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, Courage to change the things I can, And wisdom to know the difference..

Peter Wells is a Desktop Analyst currently working with UNSW Australia. He is also a technology commentator, writing for the Sydney Morning Herald, and hosting the international edition of The Daily Tech News Show. He was previously front page editor for MacTalk, Australia’s largest Apple Community.

Beginner Bash

Tony WilliamsPart of XW16

This workshop will start with understanding, setting up and using the command line before moving on to simple shell programming before finishing with LaunchAgents and LaunchDaemons. Along the way we’ll cover the ‘defaults’ command, flow control and looping, command results, chaining commands, and regular expressions among other topics.

It is open to anyone with or without experience using the command line.

Tony is an integration engineer and he is responsible for the design, installation and support of a disparate range of systems, mostly Macs and iPads. With over thirty years in the industry he has had a myriad of roles including C programmer, Unix system administrator, IT Manager, support specialist and Associate Editor of Australian Macworld.

WWDC Student Scholarship Travel Assistance

Applications are now closed for this program.

If you’re a currently enrolled student at an Australian or New Zealand University, and you’ve won an Apple Student Scholarship to attend WWDC 2016 (results announced May 9), we might be able to help out with your expenses. We’ve allocated 3 student support scholarships of $1500 each to assist with airfares and/or accommodation. Conditions apply, and applications close May 27 at 5pm (Sydney time).

Apply here »

X World 2016 Call for Presenters

X World is our annual training event for OS X and iOS system administrators and support staff, and will be held at UTS, Sydney. This year the event will run July 7-8.

We are now calling for presenters who wish to offer sessions and workshops at this year’s event. If you have a background in the installation, configuration, deployment, or on-going administration of OS X based systems, or experience in iOS deployment, management and app development, or if you work in related areas, we’d really like to hear from you. Presenters receive free registration to X World, and qualify for subsidised flights and/or accommodation.

This call for presenters closed Monday May 2, 2016, at 5pm Sydney time, but late submissions will still be considered. Offers can be made by completing the submission form.

More information, including ticket pricing, final dates, and the event program details will be posted shortly after the CFP closes.

Social interaction over shared devices: 
Designing Interactive Story Apps for Children

Betty SargeantPart of DW15

Storybook apps can contain visuals, text and audio; audio narration commonly ‘reads’ the written text aloud. As a consequence, adults are not required to read storybook apps to children. Yet when adults do read books alongside children it can lead to deeper understandings of narrative content and to positive social bonding. In this talk Betty discusses how she designed her award winning children’s storybook app How Far is Up. She describes the research behind her work and ways in which apps can be designed in order to foster social interaction to occur over shared mobile devices.

Betty Sargeant Betty writes, illustrates and designs children’s digital content. Her book app How Far is Up received a 2015 AIMIA finalist award, it was a finalist in the Victorian Premier’s Design Awards (2014), and is under consideration for a Consensus Innovation Award (2015). As an independent developer, Betty is an invited member of the international industry organisations, KidsSafe and Know What’s Inside.

Betty’s app designs have received international recognition for the ways in which they foster adults and children to socially interact over a shared mobile device. She has a number of peer­-reviewed publications as a result of her research in this area. She is a member of the RMIT Centre for Games Research. In her PhD, Betty investigated the design and the social ramifications of children’s storybook apps. She also has a Bachelor of Education and a Bachelor of Arts (Hons. First class).

 

Build a Better Hat Rack: All Contributions Welcome

Katie McLaughlinPart of DW15

More people contribute to open source software development than we currently know about. Let’s get their work noticed.

We have many ways of reporting and recognising our code contributions in open source projects, but often it is the work we do outside of code commits themselves that get forgotten and unattributed. Hours of code review, documentation, testing; organising of meetups, volunteering at conferences; even just brainstorming and talking about things – how many of these have you done without accreditation?

During this session, we will discuss what it means to contribute to open source projects, what constitutes a non-code contribution, steps we can take to recognise the work of our peers, and how projects can better encourage non-code participation through recognition and acknowledgement.

Katie McLaughlinKatie is a senior systems engineer, working to automate all the things. She has a history of enterprise software development and Windows system administration, but has been successfully converted to the ways of the penguin in recent years. When she’s not changing the world, she enjoys making tapestries, cooking and yelling at JavaScript and it’s attempts at global variables.