[Linux-aus] LCA2014 update update - what can we do to reduce workload?

[Russell Stuart]

On Mon, 2012-09-03 at 11:57 +1000, Chris Neugebauer wrote:
> And to prove how right they've got it, compare the LCA2011 videos to
> the LCA2010 videos. I know which I'd prefer.

Looking at NextDayVideo's web site and prices, they appear to charge
$4,000/day, I presume per room.  They would be $100,000 for LCA 2011,
which we (LCA 2011) couldn't sustain.  As it is Ryan gave his time
gratis.

What actually happened at LCA 2011 is we rented the cameras, purchased
the TwinPack's (which are available for future LCA's) hired PC's to hook
for the rooms, put the software on them, volunteers manned the rooms and
took the videos, provided the back end servers and did all the back end
communications.  Ryan (who I presume is the same Ryan from
NextDayVideo's) then moved in and made the entire system hum using
backend software they are familiar with.  And I do mean hum.  I don't
know who we would have got on without him.

Now you tell me Ryan does this on a commercial basis I feel guilty we
didn't pay him for his time.

I don't know that an LCA could afford to hand the entire kit and
kaboodle over to NextDayVideo, but they certainly can afford to hire
them to run the show on the day.

Regarding all the other suggestions here - bear in mind they are just
that, suggestions.  After they have won the bid, an LCA team can pretty
much do what they damned well please, although obviously the assumption
is they will try stick to the bid.  It might sound odd that they aren't
forced to do exactly what is in the bid, but cf LCA 2011 - we didn't
even use the same venue.  The bid is understood to be more like a
mission statement for an open source project.  Even with all the best
intentions the reality is usually something different.

The large amount of effort some previous LCA team's have put in isn't do
to LA insisting on some format - like whether miniconf's being done some
way or even held at all.  LA doesn't seem insist on much at all beyond
managing the money properly.  It arises partly from the bid process
requiring you to put up a bigger and better proposal than anyone else,
and partly from the pressure teams put on themselves to put on the best
LCA possible.  The second is probably the most influential of the two.
Well for LCA 2014 there is no bid to compete with, so it really is a
case of the winning team choosing how much effort they wish to put in.