[Announce] New format, more miniconfs at linux.conf.au 2007

[Jeff Waugh]

New format, more miniconfs for linux.conf.au 2007
=================================================

September 22, 2006 -- Sydney, Australia -- linux.conf.au 2007 meets demand
by extending the official conference period to a full week, and broadening
the scope and number of community organised streams, called "miniconfs".

"linux.conf.au is regarded as one of the world's best events for Linux and
Open Source developers - this year, we have received more responses to our
Call for Participation than ever before", says Jeff Waugh, lead organiser,
"Our audience demands quality and diversity, so for 2007, we are extending
the main conference period to six days, promoting our much-loved miniconfs
and adding fresh ideas such as Open Day."

Over two hundred and fifty submissions were received for talks, tutorials,
and miniconfs. The linux.conf.au 2007 programme will run over six days, with
four keynote speakers, four complete days of miniconfs and presentations, an
Open Day to present FLOSS achievements to families, students and the general
public and our traditional recipe of fantastic evening events for conference
attendees to catch up and unwind.

"Miniconfs are community organised streams, focusing on particular projects
or interest groups in the Open Source world. Next year, we will host more
than ever before, with thirteen events over two days", said James Purser,
miniconf chair and Linux Australia committee member. "Our attendees will be
treated to an eclectic mix of old favourites such as Debian and Education,
and brand new streams such as LinuxChix and Open Source in the computer game
and film industries."


linux.conf.au 2007 participants can look forward to the following topics:

 * Debian: Ever present and always popular, the Debian miniconf focuses on
   the world's largest community developed operating system.

 * Education: For educators and technologists interested in the use of Open
   Source in education.

 * Embedded: A showcase of amazing devices with Linux at their heart, and a
   fine opportunity to share and learn about this fast-growing topic.

 * Gaming: Bringing game developers together to promote Open Source games,
   and Open Source in game development.

 * GNOME.conf.au: A meeting of the minds for developers and users of GNOME,
   a desktop environment and developer platform.

 * Movies: Covering the increasing uptake of Open Source solutions in film
   production, in imaging and infrastructure.

 * MySQL: Presenting practical applications of MySQL and related software,
   through tutorials and developer discussion.

 * OpenOffice.org: Case studies, workshops, demonstrations and tutorials
   about the FLOSS world's answer to Microsoft Office.

 * PostgreSQL: Introductory and advanced topics for database administrators
   working with PostgreSQL and developers keen to learn about the code.

 * Research: Presentation of papers, case studies and workshops relating to
   Open Source in Australian research.

 * LinuxChix: Celebrating achievements in the Free Software world by women,
   and presenting some of their experiences.

 * Kernel: Lots of kernel developers getting together to teach and perform
   their black arts. Presentations will range from introductory to scary.

 * Virtualisation: A huge topic in the Open Source world over the last year
   or two, this will cover virtualisation projects, problems and solutions.


Press Contact
-------------

  Pia Waugh, linux.conf.au 2007 Press Officer
  Email: seven-contact at lca2007.linux.org.au
  Phone: +61 400 966 453

  Jeff Waugh, linux.conf.au 2007 Lead Organiser
  Email: seven-contact at lca2007.linux.org.au
  Phone: +61 423 989 818


About linux.conf.au
-------------------

linux.conf.au is Australia's annual technical conference for the Open Source
and Free Software developer community. Now in its eighth year, linux.conf.au
is regarded as one of the premier global FLOSS technical events and attracts
many international open source software developers and users. Next year, the
conference will return to Sydney from the 15th to 20th of January. For more
information about linux.conf.au 2007 visit: http://lca2007.linux.org.au/


About Linux Australia
---------------------

Linux Australia exists to serve and promote the Australian Linux and Open
Source community. The organisation aims to do this best by taking
enthusiasms within the community, such as FOSS issues, projects, education,
advocacy just to name a few, and help them flourish, to succeed. The
lifeblood of this organisation is the people in the community, and Linux
Australia strives to be both relevant and useful to the community. For more
details about Linux Australia visit: http://www.linux.org.au/