

Google I/O is sold out - mbreese
https://developers.google.com/events/io/register?tryagain=1

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wting
Unfortunately Google I/O has become a "why not" conference. I would love to go
to Google I/O at current prices even if they did not offer any swag.
Unfortunately that doesn't seem apply to most people trying to get a ticket.
They really should get rid of the swag and/or add random programming
challenges during the registration process.

I was able to reserve a ticket only to time out trying to pay with Google
Wallet: <http://i.imgur.com/vSCppd8.png>

The problem is Google I/O is used to launch new products and hold tech talks.
There's a lot of overlap of people who are interested in both, but now the
audience has grown too big.

This was the same problem GDC was having a while back--too many attendees
weren't interested in the game developing but were there to check out new
games. Making GDC developers-only and creating PAX for product announcements
was a great way to handle the issue.

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suyash
Well, I personally believe if they stop giving swags a lot of people won't go
with $900 price tag. I personally will not. It's not just because I don't want
swag, I want to meet the engineers working with the products and services I
like and want to ask them questions but on the other hand almost all the talks
are recorded online and you can view them for free on YouTube.

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ChuckMcM
As opposed to the $2,200 RSA conference where the "swag" consists of a $15
equivalent back pack ? I suspect it would sell out quickly without the swag.

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mattsgarage
Fairly disheartening to watch the countdown hit 0 - Hit the register button
immediately and spend the next hour being thrown back to the start for the
progress 7 / 8 times to eventually find they are sold out. I personally didn't
get to see the payment screen but I hear many peoples purchases timing out or
making purchases to have them cancelled after they sell out.

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nirvanatikku
I'm pretty sure I'd be ok with the fact that I wasn't able to get a ticket if
I could understand WHY. What a frustrating process.

~~~
sjh
It's a quasi-random lottery. If the client-side code is similar to last
year's, then the Javascript on the holding page polls the server at random
intervals for an "available" ticket, which are released at random intervals
and/or as orders fail to go through (e.g. payment times out, etc).

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eliben
Why so much bitching about everything? The conference is popular - they got
sold out quickly. All important talks will be streamed live and recorded for
later viewing? So what are you all complaining about?

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sethist
The problem is that people expect more from Google. People understand the
conference is popular and so should Google. If anyone could handle this type
of load, you would think they would be near the top of the list. However,
every year people need to sit at their computer staring at animated gif or
rapidly hitting F5. Even when you get past the first screen and are told that
you have tickets waiting for you, the payment processing often fails. That is
exceptionally frustrating.

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pcl
Did anyone else get 500s from the server? I got a 500 early on, and two of my
friends got tickets and subsequently got 500s from Google Wallet. In
retrospect, I wonder if my initial 500 was actually a successful ticket.

~~~
randomvector
I had a couple of 500 error as well and have to reload.

Another thing I noticed is that, in the registration waiting page, it shows
"sign in" on upper right corner, while redirected back to main page after 6
min, I saw that I was logged in Google+ without problem.

And Google Wallet has quite some issue as well.

It may be good marketing campaign for Google, but bad for desperate developers
like us. I was even chatting w/ my wife on purchasing air ticket and booking
hotel last night.

We want to be there, not for those free stuff.

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xoail
This is very disappointing. I started attempting to reserve at 7:05AM tried
for 8 times (waiting 6 mins everytime for it to find a ticket) and finally
came back with Sold Out message.

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idont
Dear Google, we also love you if we are outside the USA. :) Please organize
other such big events in Europe or Asia. Thanks. (BTW, why do I never see
events organized by Zooglers?)

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Raphael
Xooglers, as in ex-Googlers.

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culturestate
He means the Zurich office - they're known as Zooglers.

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lifeisstillgood
jooglers - johannesburg

wooglers - warsaw

booglers - berlin

fooglers - frankfurt

I feel like Alan Davis

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seancron
So who else got a ticket, but then timed out at the payment screen?

I managed to find 3 academic tickets, and all of those timed out when I tried
to pay for them.

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kyrra
one of my co-workers did. He ended up closing the google Wallet popup 4 times
and re-trying the payment and was able to get through.

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sjh
I had this as well, but the payment was ultimately declined.

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jjcm
Got through the payment screens. Was interrupted during the survey to let me
know that my work AMEX was declined :/

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jstreebin
Yeah, sat through about 6, 6 minute sessions of loading only to be told it was
sold out.

Google, you suck at tickets

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randomvector
Feel upset after trying about 40 min. I was on conf call and keep jumping back
to may personal laptop and trying registration every 6 min once redirected
back to main page -- and cannot get one ticket. :-(. Really want to go check
out this event but it is so hard to get a seat after years of trying.

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mladenkovacevic
I got two chances to buy a ticket. I chickened out the first time (about 20
minutes in)... and bit the bullet the second time (40 minutes in). I'll be
coming from Toronto. Also my first time visiting San Francisco so this is a
perfect excuse to do that. See you all there.

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theatrus2
Lots of 500 errors when I "got" a ticket and was being sent to the
registration. Unfortunately, that means I instantly appeared to lose the
ticket and had to jump back into the ticket lotto machine.

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qompiler
What is the added value of being there physically?

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jechen
The disgusting amount of free swag they throw at you.

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smtddr
That's the only reason I attempted(and failed) to get a ticket.

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cryptoz
I wish you'd realize how damaging that is to the Android / Google ecosystem.
Small-time developers who are working really, really hard to build the most
amazing products and services possible in the modern world are being
intentionally shut out of developer events by people like you who want "free
stuff". Please don't do that next time.

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smallegan
If you've been to an I/O before you realize there isn't a whole lot of
advantage to being there in person vs. watching live via the free streams they
offer. It isn't like WWDC where there is an abundance of google presence for
you to talk your issues over with. It is more of a dog and pony show where
they give out free shit. You are assuming he isn't also a developer. Please
don't do that next time.

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cryptoz
> If you've been to an I/O before you realize there isn't a whole lot of
> advantage to being there in person vs. watching live via the free streams
> they offer

I've never been, that's true - but it's not for a lack of trying. I do
disagree that there's not a whole lot of advantage to being there in person; I
can't believe that would be true. I built a Top 30 weather app and I've never
met a single Android developer in my life; I am certain, 100% certain, that
actually meeting fellow developers would be immensely helpful.

> You are assuming he isn't also a developer. Please don't do that next time.

I think it's a fair assumption that the person isn't a developer; it's tough
to imagine a developer would have no interest in going to any of the talks but
only want to hold new tech devices. You're assuming the poster is male and not
female. Please don't do that next time.

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smtddr
_I think it's a fair assumption that the person isn't a developer_

Take a look at my profile, at the youtube videos on there. Then decide what
kind of job you think I have.

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cryptoz
Fair point. Sorry, I was wrong. So why don't you have any interest in going to
the talks or speaking with anybody at I/O?

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smtddr
Because while I like android(which is half of my job) & Google related topics,
my main interest is in game console hacks which is at best a grey area in
USA's legal system. If by chance I saw people talking about dumping encryption
keys from Wii U's Flash ROM then it would be a pleasant surprise to me and I'd
take part in and/or give talks.

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mfringel
More accurately, "Google I/O tickets now available on secondary market for
actual market-clearing price."

EDIT: I stand corrected.

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habosa
I think they are non transferable this year.

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kyrra
This is correct, that rule changed this year. See:
<https://developers.google.com/events/io/help#reg_open>

> Google I/O tickets must be used by the original registrant and are non-
> transferable. Tickets may not be sold, bartered, auctioned, or transferred
> in any way and doing so may result in Google rendering the ticket null and
> void without any responsibility to Google.

EDIT: to add, last year I bought a ticket and transfered it to a co-worker (my
company picks 2 people a year to send, and I wasn't one of them last year. One
of the people selected didn't get a ticket but I was able to, so I bought it
and transfered it to him). So they've allowed it before, but I guess they
wanted to get rid of the scalping market.

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jug6ernaut
Can anyone explain to me why academic faculty get a discount? And students for
that matter also.

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k-mcgrady
Not sure about faculty but students is probably because it would be more
difficult for them to afford the full ticket price and Google probably wants
to introduce them to their technologies at the beginning of their career.

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lifeisstillgood
I am surprised Google keeps this "everyone pile in" approach - it seems
hundreds or thousands of Google-evangelists are _guaranteed_ a bad experience
(apart from not getting a ticket).

A simple 72 hour pre-registration period where everyone can leisurely sign up,
and a random allocation of tickets out of the hat, seems to be both fair, and
lead to a experience for everyone where servers don't melt and 500 errors dont
get presented to people who for the next year will be recommending to their
clients / employers whether to use GAE or Google Wallet.

Why piss off your core supporters?

