[Linux-aus] Re: linux.conf.au Possible *Future* Programme Format

[Mary Gardiner]

On 2007-01-10, Jeff Waugh <jdub at perkypants.org>
wrote:
> We have a lot of competition between main conference streams as it is.
> If we want miniconfs to continue to evolve towards "community
> organised streams", then they will need to compete on the same grounds
> as main conference talks.

There's a difference between scheduling say, two free culture or two
application talks against each other and scheduling say, two talks about
the GNOME user community, or two talks about minority representation in
Free Software against each other, at least to me. One is sort of a shame
for some attendees, and the other is a split of a single audience down
the middle. But I suspect that actually, any miniconf which had a really
strong feeling that >80% of its attendees would *really* want to go to a
single competing talk would just not schedule in that slot, or think
outside the box to draw in other attendees (a beginners' tutorial or
something), so you're probably right.

To really pull this off well, it would be good if the miniconf
organisers and the program committee talked to each other a fair bit in
the year when it's implemented.

-Mary