[Linux-aus] linux.conf.au - MELBOURNE 2008: REQUEST FOR MINI-CONF PROPOSALS OPENS

[James Purser]

linux.conf.au - MELBOURNE 2008
REQUEST FOR MINI-CONF PROPOSALS OPENS

The MEL8OURNE team is pleased to announce that the call for proposals
for mini-confs at linux.conf.au 2008 is now open. linux.conf.au is
Australia's annual Linux conference. Fun, informal and seriously
technical, linux.conf.au is a calendar highlight for Free and Open
Source Software developers from across the world. It will be held from
January 28th to February 2nd, 2008 at the University of Melbourne.

Mini-confs are self-contained 'conferences-within-a-conference' that
provide a forum for attendees with special interests to communicate and
collaborate. Mini-confs draw together hobbyists, educators and
academics, technologists, corporate representatives, and members of the
broader community to further knowledge and discussion in their
specialist areas. Each mini-conference is organised by a member of its
specialist community and run within the auspices of the wider
conference. Past topics have covered Education, Gaming, Debian, MySQL,
the Linux kernel, Security, Clustering and Virtualisation. Twelve
different mini-confs were held in conjunction with the main programme
linux.conf.au 2007.

Speakers present on their areas of expertise within each topic, and
community members share ideas, experiences and knowledge. Lightning
talks, short informative presentations on specific topics, and poster
presentations are also popular at mini-conferences. 

The Education mini-conference at linux.conf.au 2007 included
presentations from educators and technologists interested in and
utilising Linux and Open Source technologies in Education. Topics
included technology trends in education, copyright law, collaborative
learning and case studies on using Open Source technology in schools,
technical colleges and universities. 

Kathryn Moyle, Associate Professor at the University of Canberra said
"having attended all the education mini-confs held in Australia, I have
found they provide the opportunity for IT specialists and educators from
schools, vocational education and in higher education to meet and share
ideas, strategies, successes and failures about how to include open
technologies within the education sector."

The popular LinuxChix mini-conf, run by women in the Open Source
community, discussed topics as diverse as techniques for social
networking, bug fixing for non-programmers, and the role of women in
Information Technology and Open Source. 

Mary Gardiner, convener of the International LinuxChix organisation said
"The LinuxChix mini-conference was the first event of its kind in
Australia; an event which highlighted both women's technical
achievements in Free Software and our work to make the community more
hospitable to women and increase their involvement. A linux.conf.au
mini-conference was good for our community, because we were able to use
both the linux.conf.au venue and invite their participants to attend."

Mini-confs cover a variety of topics, both new and old, ranging from the
long-running Debian mini-conf to the newer Virtualisation mini-conf. For
linux.conf.au 2008, the organisers invite proposals from previous
mini-conf organisers and welcome proposals on new and innovative topics.
We recommend, even if you are an established mini-conference, that you
lodge a proposal to ensure we can plan adequately for your requirements.

Proposals should be submitted online at
http://lca2008.linux.org.au/mini-confs

For linux.conf.au 2008 the call for mini-conf proposals is happening
prior to the call for papers. The call for papers will open on the 1st
of June, and both the mini-conf and papers call for submissions will
close on Friday, 20 July 2007.

---
linux.conf.au (http://linux.conf.au/) is Australia's annual
Linux conference. Fun, informal and seriously technical, 
linux.conf.au draws together Free and Open Source Software 
developers from across the world. It will be held from 
January 28th to February 2nd, 2008 at The University of Melbourne.

Linux Australia (http://www.linux.org.au/) is the peak body for Linux
User Groups (LUGs) around Australia, and as such represents
approximately 5000 Australian Linux users and developers. Linux
Australia facilitates the organisation of this international Linux
conference in a different Australasian city each year.

Contact
Donna Benjamin
Conference Director
linux.conf.au 2008

donna at mel8ourne.org
ph/fax +61 3 9235 5454
http://lca2008.linux.org.au/

-- 
James Purser
Ordinary Committee Member
Linux Australia
http://linux.org.au
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