[OSGeo-Conf] Format questions for 2009 conference

[Paul Ramsey]

On Jan 7, 2008, at 2:11 PM, Cameron Shorter wrote:
>
> 1. For our workshops, we are proposing that participants bring their  
> own laptops. (We can set up a laptop hire program for those who  
> don't have one). This will reduce our computer costs and risks.
> We are making a bet that an OSGeo live CD will be available by 2009  
> and using your own computer should be a realistic option with  
> minimal fuss. Any objections?

This is a dangerous one, as I am sure Dave Patton would attest. Even  
with almost completely homogeneous computers, we still had  
incompatibility issues! (One of the VMWare images wouldn't work on one  
batch of machines.)  If you have 300 work-shoppers, and 10% have  
machine troubles, you have 30 people to get up and running, in the 15  
minutes between their arrival and the start of the classes.

Also, anything that can't run live-CD is shut out of the workshops.

P.