From president at linux.org.au Fri Jul 1 20:03:52 2016 From: president at linux.org.au (Hugh Blemings) Date: Fri, 1 Jul 2016 20:03:52 +1000 Subject: [Announce] Clarifying our position Message-ID: <5cdada76-81c2-9e1a-db9b-751b5e41a4e0@linux.org.au> - A statement from the President and Council of Linux Australia - Last week Linux Australia issued a statement regarding Jacob Appelbaum. That statement did not communicate our position effectively, and in some cases resulted in our commitment to safety at events being called into question. We apologise for creating this perception. This statement seeks to address that. To date, Mr Appelbaum has not sought to be involved in any upcoming LA events. In general, individual event organisers decide who is admitted to LA events, and LA supports event organisers in deciding to exclude individuals who pose a risk to the safety of their event. Specifically based on the various sources making and supporting the allegations against Mr Appelbaum, the organisers of future LA events including linux.conf.au 2017 and PyCon Australia 2016 have made the decision to exclude Mr Appelbaum from their events. LA unequivocally supports the organisers in this decision. Further, in any future situation where serious concerns about behaviours of an individual exist, LA will work with organisers of LA events and take appropriate action to ensure that the safety of delegates at those events is assured. Linux Australia is committed to upholding event Codes of Conduct (CoCs). LA is strongly committed to the core values of inclusiveness and safety that underpin our community. We strive to provide safe and inclusive event environments where all feel welcome. We want to be clear that the harm many members of the open source, privacy, and information security communities have described from Mr Applebaum is extremely serious, and would be against our event Codes of Conduct. We commit to taking action under our Code of Conduct when members of our community are harmed or are at risk from other members and attendees. We appreciate the feedback on this topic, and are striving to continually improve our policies and procedures in this area such that we are better positioned to address complaints of this nature should they occur in the future. We welcome the input and support of all in our membership in accomplishing this. The Council is additionally planning to assemble a working group of experienced volunteers to improve our community safety, including by refining the Code of Conduct and its enforcement. President (Hugh Blemings) and Council, Linux Australia - Ends - From chair at hobart.lca2017.org Mon Jul 4 09:28:48 2016 From: chair at hobart.lca2017.org (Christopher Neugebauer (linux.conf.au 2017)) Date: Mon, 4 Jul 2016 09:28:48 +1000 Subject: [Announce] linux.conf.au 2017 in Hobart -- Talk, Tutorial, and Miniconf submissions now open! Message-ID: We?re rather pleased to announce that the Call for Proposals for linux.conf.au 2017 is now open! linux.conf.au is one of the best-known community-driven Free and Open Source Software conferences in the world. In 2017, we?re welcoming you to Hobart, Tasmania, on Monday 16 through to Friday 20 January. You can read this Call for Proposals, and submit a proposal at https://linux.conf.au/proposals IMPORTANT DATES * Call for Proposals Opens: 4 July 2016 * CFP Closes: 5 August 2016 * Notifications from the programme committee: Mid-September 2016 * Conference Opens: 16 January 2017 WHO WE WANT TO HEAR FROM linux.conf.au is a conference where people gather to learn about the entire world of Free and Open Source Software, directly from the people who shape the projects and topics that they?re presenting on. If you?re working with Free and Open Source Software, Open Hardware, if you?re exploring openness in a field outside of technology, or if you?re doing something that you think will be interesting to people interested in Open Source, we want to hear from you! linux.conf.au welcomes first-time and seasoned speakers from all free and open technology communities ? people of all ages, genders, nationalities, ethnicities, backgrounds, religions, abilities, and walks of life. We respect and encourage diversity at our conference. WHAT WE WANT TO HEAR ABOUT The theme for linux.conf.au 2017 is _The Future of Open Source_. So, while we?re interested in hearing anything new and exciting about Free and Open Source Software ? especially stories about the projects you?ve worked on ? we?re inviting you to think especially about how the world of Open Source will look in the future. Here are some suggestions to get you started with your proposal ideas: THE FUTURE OF YOUR PROJECT linux.conf.au is well-known for deeply technical talks, and lca2017 will be no exception. Our attendees want to be the first to know about new and upcoming developments in the tools they already use every day, and they want to know about new open source technology that they?ll be using daily in two years time. OPENNESS FOR EVERYONE Many of the techniques that have made Open Source so successful in the software and hardware world are now being applied to fields as disparate as science, data, government, and the law. We want to know how Open Thinking will help to shape your field in the future, and more importantly, we want to know how the rest of the world can help shape the future of Open Source. THREATS FROM THE FUTURE It?s easy to think that Open Source has won, but for every success we achieve, a new challenge pops up. Are we missing opportunities in desktop and mobile computing? Why is the world suddenly running away from open and federated communications? Why don?t the new generation of developers care about licensing? Let?s talk about how Software Freedom and Open Source can better meet the needs of our users and developers for years to come. WHATEVER YOU WANT! It?s hard for us to predict the future, but we know that you should be a part of it. If you think you have something to say about Free and Open Source Software, then we want to hear from you, even if it doesn?t fit any of the categories above. WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW PROPOSAL TYPES We?re accepting submissions for three different types of proposal: * Presentation (45 minutes): These are generally presented in lecture format and form the bulk of the available conference slots. * Tutorial (100 minutes): These are generally presented in a classroom format. They should be interactive or hands-on in nature. Tutorials are expected to have a specific learning outcome for attendees. * Miniconf (full-day): Single-track mini-conferences that run for the duration of a day on either Monday or Tuesday. We provide the room, and you provide the speakers. Together, you can explore a field in Free and Open Source software in depth. SPEAKER RECOGNITION In recognition of the value that speakers bring to our conference, once a proposal is accepted, one speaker per proposal is entitled to: * Free registration, which holds all of the benefits of a Professional Delegate Ticket * A complimentary ticket to the Speakers' Dinner for the speaker, with additional tickets for significant others and children of the speaker available for purchase. * Optionally, recognition as a Fairy Penguin Sponsor, available at 50% off the advertised price If your proposal includes more than one speaker, these additional speakers will be entitled to: * Professional or hobbyist registration at the Early Bird rate, regardless of whether the Early Bird rate is generally available * Speakers? dinner tickets available for purchase at cost As a volunteer-run non-profit conference, linux.conf.au does not pay speakers to present at the conference. FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE linux.conf.au is able to provide limited financial assistance for some speakers, for instance where the cost of flights or accommodation might prohibit a speaker from attending. You can indicate your need for financial assistance when making your proposal. If there are other financial barriers ? including those that affect accessibility ? to your participation in linux.conf.au, you can indicate this when making your proposal as well. We will try to accommodate as many requests for assistance as possible within our limited budget. ACCESSIBILITY linux.conf.au aims to be accommodating to everyone who wants to attend or present at the conference. We recognise that some people face accessibility challenges. If you have special accessibility requirements, you can provide that information when submitting your proposal so that we can plan to properly accommodate you. CODE OF CONDUCT By agreeing to present at or attend the conference, you are agreeing to abide by the terms and conditions (https://linux.conf.au/attend/terms-and-conditions). We expect all speakers and delegates to have read, understood, and act according to the standards set forth in our Code of Conduct (https://linux.conf.au/attend/code-of-conduct). RECORDING AND LICENSING To increase the number of people that can view your presentation, linux.conf.au might record your talk and make it publicly available after the event. We plan to release recordings of every talk at the conference under a Creative Commons Share-Alike Licence. When submitting your proposal you may note that you do not wish to have your talk released. Additionally, if the subject of your presentation is a software project, you must ensure the software has an Open Source Initiative-approved licence at the time of the close of our CFP. HOW YOU CAN TAKE PART Go to our site at https://linux.conf.au/proposals -- you can create an account and submit a proposal over there. -- --Christopher Neugebauer Conference Director - linux.conf.au - January 2017 - Hobart Call for Proposals now open - Closes Friday 5 August - linux.conf.au/proposals From kathy at kathyreid.id.au Tue Jul 19 23:36:25 2016 From: kathy at kathyreid.id.au (Kathy Reid) Date: Tue, 19 Jul 2016 23:36:25 +1000 Subject: [Announce] Bids now formally invited for linux.conf.au 2019 Message-ID: <578E2CD9.3040205@kathyreid.id.au> Hi everyone, Plans are coming along really well for linux.conf.au 2017 in Hobart. We're very much looking forward to seeing you all there, but in the meantime it's time to start thinking about plans for 2019 [0]. I realise we're a bit behind schedule on the formal call for bids, so here is the revised timeline * July - Formal Bids are requested to host linux.conf.au 2019 - Council works with Bid Teams to help them prepare their bids, answering questions and providing guidance * September 05 - Submission of formal bids closes - Council clarifies any questions regarding the bids and reviews them * November - Council conducts Site Inspections with shortlisted Bid Teams * December - Council decides on the winning city and informs the Bid Teams * January - The winning bid is announced at linux.conf.au 2017 If you have ever sat in the back of a LUG meeting or an LCA talk and had an informal chat to someone about running an LCA now is the time to put that idea into action. If you were the person two seats back listening in, go bug that person to put in a bid! If you haven't already, the first thing to to do is to send an email to council at linux.org.au to let them know you are thinking of submitting a bid. You should also CClinux-aus at lists.linux.org.au, this might help you find other people keen on helping you out. Running a linux.conf.au is a large task, and requires some key event management skills, which we'll be happy to help guide you in. So go out, get your team together, talk to some venues/vendors and start bidding to run the next awesome LCA! Armed with your amazing organising skills, this is your opportunity to show off your city, do what you always wanted to do at LCA, add something extra special to the conference and have a say in the programme of the conference. This is something you will remember for a lifetime and gain life-long friends, professional contacts and the experience looks amazing on a resume. Not to mention, it's great fun to run! Once you've finalised your bid document then please send to council at linux.org.au andlinux-aus at lists.linux.org.au. If you are thinking of bidding, please put your hand up sooner rather than later so that the Council can make sure you get the support you need to prepare a high quality bid. Please don't hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or need any help in preparing your bid. Cheers, The Linux Australia Council P.S. Please forward this announcement onto local LUG lists and anywhere else you think is relevant. [0]http://lists.linux.org.au/pipermail/linux-aus/2013-November/021212.html