[Forwarded on behalf of the organisers]

Are you a software developer interested in providing a long-term future for your work? Do you have the time to attend an expenses-paid*, one-day JISC workshop in London on 7 July 2010? If so, please read on to see how you could contribute to development recommendations from the JISC.

To register for the workshop, email events@software.ac.uk with the subject ‘Workshop registration’.

Developers can spend years creating software only to see their efforts lost because their software’s future wasn’t adequately planned. Planning for the long-term future not only conserves development effort, it also helps the funding councils see a better return on their investment. We intend to find the best methods for achieving a long-term future for software. We will refine these methods with help from developers, and publicise them so that the whole development community can benefit.

What are the best methods for providing your software with a future? That’s where the workshop comes in. It’s only worth recommending methods that developers will actually use, so we will hold the workshop to meet with developers, ask them for their advice and gain their opinion on our ideas. The outcomes of the workshop will shape both the JISC’s guidance given for software development and the work of the newly formed Software Sustainability Institute. By attending the workshop, you will have a chance to guide software policy and ensure that it reflects the needs of developers.

The workshop will run from 10.30-16.00 on 7 July and will take place at Brettenham House (London, WC2E 7EN). The day will start with a few short presentations on sustainable development, but will mainly consist of small groups of developers discussing their ideas and refining our ideas. For more information, visit the workshop website (www.software.ac.uk/SustainingSoftware.html) or contact events@software.ac.uk.

We are a team of software experts from Curtis+Cartwright (curtiscartwright.co.uk) and the Software Sustainability Institute (software.ac.uk) who have been funded by the JISC to investigate the best methods for preserving software. Our study will lead to recommendations on topics such as how to choose which software to preserve, which sustainability model to adopt and how to develop for a long-term future.

More information • Registration email: events@software.ac.uk • Questions: matt.shreeve@curtiscartwright.co.uk • Workshop website: http://www.software.ac.uk/SustainingSoftware.html • Venue: http://www.jisc.ac.uk/contactus/findus/london.aspx • Curtis+Cartwright: http://www.curtiscartwright.co.uk • The Software Sustainability Institute: http://www.software.ac.uk • Software preservation blog: http://softwarepreservation.jiscinvolve.org • *Reasonable travel expenses will be reimbursed (standard class train tickets or equivalent). The workshop and the accompanying lunch are free.