The Advanced Developers Hands On Conference (ADHOC) is an annual event that provides a unique environment for computer programmers, engineers, students, and technology enthusiasts. At ADHOC they learn the cutting-edge technologies of the day not only from experts in classroom and conference sessions but also from each other in intense coding marathons. The conference is well rooted in the Macintosh platform - it is also called MacHack - but over the last few years the conference has grown to encompass other technologies, such as UNIX, open source, mobile devices, and more. What makes ADHOC different from other Mac development conferences? First of all, it's peer-to-peer, in a social sense of the term. Every conference participant can be an expert, because everyone knows something special that the rest of us need to know. Yes, it's occasionally nice to hear what Apple thinks can be done with their hardware and software, but often it's better to hear from the people who write for it in the trenches. The people who know what Apple expects to be done with it, but decide that it can do even more. After all, Apple's focus is on creating the potential. The people at ADHOC are there to exploit the potential. Second, there's the Showcase. The showcase is an intensive, multi-day contest where you try to make something to impress everyone else at the conference. Ideally, you start it when you arrive, and you finish sometime before you go on stage to show it. Many of the coolest bits of software that came out for the Mac started in the Showcase. And, because everyone wants to see something cool, if you need the help from a programming expert who just happens to be at the show, you can ask them, and you'll learn what you need. You can learn more about the Mac OS in a very short amount of time just by trying to write a showcase entry. Third, it's fun. Lots of fun. Barrel of monkeys? That's like an Accounting 101 class compared to ADHOC. Most conferences you go, attend some classes, have lunch, and then spend the rest of the time enjoying the night life of whatever city that it's hosted in. That's why most conferences have to be held in places like Las Vegas, San Francisco, and New York City. If they weren't, you'd be bored out of your mind when the conference isn't happening. At ADHOC, you leave to go to the Bad Science Fiction Movie, and the occasional foray for food or computer supplies. That's about it. We don't chain you down, generally, but people just seem to like the conference so much that they forget to leave. Fourth, of interest to some, is the price. We're significantly less expensive than most conferences, so it's easy to get us into your company's budget. So make your way to ADHOC this year, learn a lot, have some fun, and discover how exciting a conference can really be.