The Southern California Linux Expo (SCALE) is an annual Linux, open source and free software conference held in Los Angeles, California, since 2002. Despite having Linux in its name, SCALE covers all open source operating systems and software. It is a volunteer-run event.
The event features an expo floor with both commercial and non-profit exhibitors, as well as 4 days of seminars on the topic of Linux and Open Source software. Sessions and presentations cover a broad spectrum of topics and technical levels.
SCALE grew out of a series of LUGFests put on by the Simi Conejo Linux Users Group in the late 90s. There were four of them, held every 6 months at the Nortel development facility in Simi Valley, California. They ended when Nortel closed that facility in 2001. Subsequently, members from SCLUG, USCLUG and UCLALUG organized to create a more regional event, which they named the Southern California Linux Expo.
Companies, organizations and projects represented at SCALE include Linux-based projects such as Debian, Gentoo Linux, the Fedora Project, KDE and GNOME, other open-source operating systems including NetBSD and FreeBSD, software projects such as Django, open-source database systems such as MySQL and PostgreSQL, other open-source applications such as Drupal, Inkscape, MythTV and The Document Foundation, activist organizations such as Software Freedom Law Center and the Electronic Frontier Foundation, major technology companies such as IBM, HP and Sharp, web companies including Google, Facebook and eHarmony, and internet projects including OpenStreetMap.
| Event | Year | Date | Venue | Keynote Speakers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SCALE 1x | 2002 | December 2 | University of Southern California Davidson Conference Center | ||
| SCALE 2x | 2003 | November 22 | |||
| SCALE 3x | 2005 | February 12–13 | |||
| SCALE 4x | 2006 | February 10–12 | Radisson Hotel Los Angeles Airport | Janinne Brunyee, Dan Kegel | |
| SCALE 5x | 2007 | February 9–11 | Westin Los Angeles Airport | - | |
| SCALE 6x | 2008 | February 8–10 | Westin Los Angeles Airport | Jono Bacon, Stormy Peters | |
| SCALE 7x | 2009 | February 20–22 | Westin Los Angeles Airport | Bradley Kuhn, Joe 'Zonker' Brockmeier | |
| SCALE 8x | 2010 | February 19–21 | Westin Los Angeles Airport | Karsten Wade, Tarus Balog | |
| SCALE 9x | 2011 | February 25–27 | Hilton Los Angeles Airport | Leigh Honeywell, Jane Silber | |
| SCALE 10x | 2012 | January 20–22 | Hilton Los Angeles Airport | Greg DeKoenigsberg, Selena Deckelmann | |
| SCALE 11x | 2013 | February 22–24 | Hilton Los Angeles Airport | Kyle Rankin, Matthew Garrett | |
| SCALE 12x | 2014 | February 21–23 | Hilton Los Angeles Airport | Lawrence Lessig, Leslie Hawthorne, Brendan Gregg | |
| SCALE 13x | 2015 | February 19–22 | Hilton Los Angeles Airport | Ruth Suehle, Monty Taylor | |
| SCALE 14x | 2016 | January 21–24 | Sage Sharp, Mark Shuttleworth, Cory Doctorow | ||
| SCALE 15x | 2017 | March 2–4 | Christine Corbett Moran, Karen Sandler | ||
| SCALE 16x | 2018 | March 8–11 | John Gossman, Zaheda Bhorat | ||
| SCALE 17x | 2019 | March 7–10 | Mitchell Hashimoto, Colin Charles | ||
| SCALE 18x | 2020 | March 5–8 | Pasadena Convention Center | Paul Vixie, Sha Stepter, Jessica McKellar | |
| SCALE 19x | 2022(2021 edition suspended due to COVID-19 pandemic) | July 28–31 | Hilton Los Angeles Airport | Aeva Black, Demetris Cheatham, Vint Cerf | |
| SCALE 20x | 2023 | March 9–12 | Pasadena Convention Center | Arun Gupta, Dr. Kitty Yeung, Ken Thompson | |
| SCaLE 21x | 2024 | March 14-17 | Pasadena Convention Center | Bill Cheswick, Casey Handmer, Viral B. Shah |