I’ve been hinting about a new venture on Twitter, and it’s time to explain what’s going on.

I’m in the process of opening a new office. Or rather, my company, Quality Tree Software, Inc. is opening a new space in our current building in Pleasanton, CA.

It’s 1200 square feet of open-layout-Agile-goodness. When it’s done, it will be outfitted in the spirit of the best Agile organizations I’ve seen. It will be one big wide open workspace with lots of natural light. We’ll fill it with modular furniture that will be able to accommodate a variety of uses.

The space is still under construction. So you’ll have to use your imagination to envision the finished space. But trust me. It will be cool. It will look like a well-appointed team room. There will be big whiteboards. There will be a big visible CI monitor. There will be a library. There will be a story wall. There will be big visible charts. There will be desks suitable for pairing. There will be comfy chairs. There will be index cards.

My intent is to create a training space that offers participants an immersive Agile experience. Just as I’ve recommended that people visit Pivotal Labs in San Francisco or Atomic Object in Grand Rapids or Menlo Innovations in Ann Arbor, I hope that others will be inspired to recommend that their friends and colleagues visit our new space to see what an Agile space feels like.

And because having this space means we have our very own dedicated venue, we’ll be able to offer beta-level, not-quite-ready-for-primetime classes at significantly reduced rates. And we’ll be able to experiment freely.

I’m already talking with other training providers about classes they might want to do in the space. Our intent is to host offerings from all sorts of folks. It’s kinda like having a performance venue showcasing awesome trainers and facilitators who are aligned with our values.

In that spirit, the vision is to create far more than “just” a great training space. I also hope that the space can become a kind of community hub. I want it to become the kind of place that people look forward to visiting just, well, because. Because it feels good to be there. Because it reminds them of what a living breathing team space feels like. So we plan to host community events like OSTATLI in the space. And I hope that the space will foster a community of practice for Agile trainers where we can share experiences and material, and collaborate to create better classes.

There’s still a lot more work to be done before we’re ready for visitors. We’re currently targeting an October opening. But construction delays could push that date back. I’ll post updates here, and pictures, as things progress.

In the meantime, I hope you’ll consider visiting us when the space is finished!

On February 5, a group of us gathered in my office on First Street in Pleasanton for the first ever “Open Source Test Automation Tool Love In” (OSTATLI). Joining in were: Dale Emery, Jeffrey Fredrick, Kevin Lawrence, Dave Liebreich, Ken Pier, and Chris Sims.

Several folks have asked me to post the results of the meeting, and others have asked me how to host one in their area.

I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the strong response to OSTATLI. At its core, the gathering was just an excuse for like-minded folks to spend a day geeking out together. Perhaps the interest was because of the name?

In any case, I must confess that I find it a little hard to post “the” results for the meeting. It’s just not the type of meeting that leads to just one set of results.

However, here’s my best attempt to provide a glimpse into the day from my perspective.

After our initial chitchat, and a brief moment in which I panicked while Chris convinced the wifi that it it wanted to allow us access to the Internet, we set some intentions for the day.

Some were about exploring tools, like:

• Play with Cucumber
• Get feedback on FIT v. NUnit
• Understand Selenium
• A taste of RSpec
• The cool tool that I’ve never heard of but should

Others were specific tasks, such as:

• Get SafariWatir testing my local WordPress instance “the right way”
• Use Robot Framework to create an initial set of Acceptance Tests for “VDL”

And we captured a list of the tools represented in the room, either tools about which someone was curious, or tools around which someone had expertise:

• RSpec
• Selenium/SeleniumRC
• DBUnit
• Abbot
• Marathon
• UISpec4J
• Robot Framework
• FIT
• Fitnesse/Slim
• Diff (built into the operating system)
• Firebug
• Cubic Test
• Cucumber
• Concordion

We spent the rest of the morning on projects related to our stated intentions, working in small groups. After lunch, we gathered around the projector for a demo by Ken of a custom test harness that SocialText has written around Selenium. Then Kevin did an impromptu demo of Cubic Test, and we all oohed and aahed over the graphical test representation.

A few folks had to leave early, and the rest of us talked for a while in the office, until we remembered that there’s a pub around the corner that would allow us to talk about geek stuff with a beer in our hands.

Overall, I think it was a fabulous success, tons of fun, and I am most grateful to all the participants and to everyone who has expressed interest.

For another perspective on OSTATLI, see Dave Liebreich’s account.

Also, I’m delighted that the idea is catching on. Al Snow is already planning a similar kind of meeting in the Atlanta area.

Are you an open source test automation tool aficionado? I am. That’s why I’m organizing OSTATLI, a small, non-commercial, invitation-only gathering next Thursday in my office in Pleasanton to provide an opportunity for us to express our mutual love of open source test automation tools.

Participants will bring their laptops, loaded with their favorite tools, and we’ll spend a day messing around with various tools to see what each one can do. I’ll provide beverages and wifi.

Want to come play? My office is small, so participation is limited. But getting an invite is easy: just email me.