The first workshop on digital fluid power (DFP-08) took place on October 3rd, 2008 at Tampere University of Technology, Finland. The workshop was organized by Prof. Matti Vilenius and Dr. Matti Linjama from the Department of Intelligent Hydraulics and Automation at Tampere University in cooperation with Bosch Rexroth and Prof. Rudolf Scheidl from the Institute of Machine Design and Hydraulic Drives, Johannes Kepler University Linz, Austria. With 80 participants -- more than half of them from industry -- the workshop was a full success and shows the growing interest for digital hydraulics in the fluid power business.