Tech entrepreneurs [including Ward Cunningham] defy recession

The article is about the startup scene in Portland, OR. Portland has some pluses, like talented developers and money, and some minuses, like the inability to attract seasoned executives because of the lack of large companies (executive pool).

>"There's not one-upsmanship here," he said."I have friends in Austin, where I used to live, telling me they have a hard time building a technology community because there's a lot of rivalries. But that's not the case here."

Tatoo that on your hand. An area will fail if there is secretiveness instead of cooperation. I rate it as a good read for those wondering if their area has potential for startups.