Re: [Linux-aus] LA ctte meeting summary 2005/02/13

[Bret Busby <bret@busby.net>]

On Mon, 21 Feb 2005, Leon Brooks wrote:

> On Monday 21 February 2005 01:50, Bret Busby wrote:
> > 2. Reagarding the item regarding possible future Linux User
> > Conferences, and, with the reference in that item, to the annual
> > Linux Conference, it is my understanding that the current annual
> > Linux Conference, superseded what was previously an annual Linux
> > Users Conference, previously known as the CALU - the Conference of
> > Australian Linux Users. Could this please be clarified? It appears to
> > me, that what is being suggested, previously existed, and was
> > replaced, as it appears that those responsible, adopted the Monty
> > Python slogan - "And now for something completely different" - ending
> > the annual Linux Users Conference in Australia, and replacing it with
> > the Linux Conference (I do not call it Linux Conference Australia, as
> > it is apparently going offshore in future).
>
> Bret, you're getting pretty dependable about this. I'm afraid we'll have
> to begin calling you Mr Conspiracy Theory instead.
>
> Make everyone happy, call it CLANZ - Conference, Linux, Australian and
> New Zealand?
>
> We could even call the Kiwi instances CLAUNZ - Confrunce, Linex,
> Auwstrilia Und Neu Zulund. <G/D/R>
>
> Cheers; Leon

The issue of the conference going offshore, was a small aside.

The issue that was pertinent, was the pre-existence of a conference of 
Linux Users, which was replaced by the current conference, whatever you 
may want to call it.

CALU had existed, and was replaced.

There are a number of possible audiences for Linux conferences, and 
catering for all of these, could probably be done at the same 
conference, if it was wanted. At present, three (from memory) streams 
exist at the current conferences.

I can think of four possible audiences - general Linux users, technical 
Linux Users (eg, ISP's, etc), developers who use Linux and applications 
that run on Linux (eg, Perl, PostgreSQL, etc), and developers who 
develop Linux.

This would appear to be an issue for Linux Australia to investigate - 
having previously had an annual conference of Linux users - the CALU, 
which was replaced - should another conference of Linux users, be 
created, and, if so, should it be run as part of an overall Linux 
conference, for example, as a stream of the conference, or should it be 
run as a standalone conference, and, should separate conferences be run, 
for each of the four audiences above, or as streams of a combined 
conference, and, given that a kind of general Linux  users conference is 
coming up - the one about Linux dessktops, to be held in (I think) 
Sydney, should all of these possible conferences or streams of a single 
combined conference, be limited to a particular location (eg, Sydney), 
or, should they be held at different locations.

And, perhaps, the issue of locations for conferences, and the way that 
they are decided, should be determined by the membership of Linux 
Australia, as opposed to being decided by the committee, to reduce 
disenfranchisement and inability to attend. A possibility, as 
an example, is a rotational allocation (eg, each state gets to 
host the conference, once every seven years, for example, in 
the rotating order Brisbane then Sydney then Canberra then Melbourne 
then Hobart then Adelaide then Perth then Adelaide (or 
Darwin) then starting again with Brisbane).Similarly, with the deciding 
when the conferences are to be held, it may be better for the membership 
as a whole, rather than the committee, making the decision.

--
Bret Busby
Armadale
West Australia
..............

"So once you do know what the question actually is,
 you'll know what the answer means."
- Deep Thought,
  Chapter 28 of
  "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy:
  A Trilogy In Four Parts",
  written by Douglas Adams,
  published by Pan Books, 1992 
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