[OSGeo-Conf] Hackers, business, funding and other issues

[Tim Bowden]

All,

Having just re-read the previous missives about the hacker/business
divide and funding I'd like to start again (seems like a good idea
rather than trying to continue the previous thread) with some
observations from my experience in Cape Town.

There seemed to be clear consensus amongst those I talked to that the
one day code sprint doesn't cut it.  There were suggestions we look at
making it four days or so the week before the conf proper, allowing
project teams (perhaps more for those who's activities are at least
somewhat commercially funded?) to get some decent productive work out of
the exercise.

For Sydney (if we go down this track) it could also be an opportunity to
take advantage of the the planned OGC(?) integration showcase.  If we
did this, it would probably be best to hold it at a location well
outside the city (Blue Mountains, South Coast?) away from the
distractions of the city hustle and bustle.  Perhaps Jeroen's successful
Bologna monastery event could be a model of sorts for this.

Yes, this idea makes it a long way to come for a lot longer, but if it
provides the opportunity for real productive work to be done, perhaps
the sting would not be so bad.  That at least is the impression I got
from a number of people, though the consensus was not entirely
universal.  Lets see if idle chat translates to commitment to the idea.

Another "wish" that was expressed to me was for more in depth technical
content.  There was lots of "starting out" type workshops/presentations
(like Victoria?), which does go down very well with a large part of the
delegates, but again there was a sense that the uber-hackers weren't so
well catered to.  Perhaps we need to better label/select content based
on some sort of stream categorisation of Hacker/ Power user/ Education/
Management etc.

Cost:  We are (very deliberately) about as cheap as we can get for a
formal conference.  The bulk of the cost for delegates is in travel,
which is going to be a problem for many (academics and hobbyists
mostly?) no matter where we hold it.  Making it an informal (very hacker
centric?) international gathering won't solve this.  IMHO we're just
going to have to wear this for our gathering of the tribes.  Local confs
(of whatever style) can fill some of that need, but by definition you
won't get most of the community attending so there is still the need for
an international tribal gathering anyway.

These issues all point to some fundamental tensions we have in trying to
cater to the needs of a diverse crowd (hackers, power users, managers,
educators, newbies and so on).  I believe we need to cater for all those
groups.  Perhaps that does mean we will end up with a much bigger conf
in years to come.  If so, we will have growing pains, and need to do
things differently over time but I believe it would be a mistake to back
away from those challenges.

Regards,
Tim Bowden
-- 
Experience is that marvelous thing that enables you recognize a mistake
when you make it again.