[OSGeo-Discuss] Should we write a FOSS4G Cookbook?
David William Bitner
bitner at gyttja.org
Fri Sep 7 06:30:12 PDT 2012
Peter,
I think you are right on target with what I would like to see. A voluminous
guide with samples of this and that from every conference would get very
hard to navigate. A checklist and easy things like that (having the
template budget started in Victoria was great for us) would be a wonderful
tool to have.
To be honest a lot of the talk about archiving conversations and drafts of
every document or design that goes through the LOC makes me very hesitant.
I certainly agree to tracking those things, but as a volunteer, that is
certainly not at the top of my priorities and if I can't find another
volunteer who can help with that (which is not exactly the kind of task
that others usually stand up to take on) then it is likely not to get done
at all since that kind of thing tends to fall on the lap of the person who
is overstretching anyway. If we can focus the things that we try to pull
together centrally to the things that really are more broadly useful to
others we might be able to have better follow through.
David
On Fri, Sep 7, 2012 at 8:20 AM, Peter Batty <peter at ebatty.com> wrote:
> Cameron, as you know I am supportive of having a cookbook which as others
> have said is a guide not a rulebook. In doing FOSS4G Denver, despite the
> lessons learned wikis and plenty of good advice from various members of the
> community, there were quite a few occasions where we (the LOC) missed
> something or misunderstood something, and we felt we were reinventing a lot
> of things. I think more of a checklist would be very helpful - things that
> should be done when you're starting up the effort, what should be done a
> year out, six months out, etc (and again there will be variations of
> course, including the event size - the main global event is generally
> planned further in advance than smaller regional events, etc).
>
> So count me in for contributing.
>
> Cheers,
> Peter.
>
>
> On Thu, Sep 6, 2012 at 2:22 PM, Cameron Shorter <cameron.shorter at gmail.com
> > wrote:
>
>> Jeff,
>> I think Stephen summarises the intent of the cookbook well as a guide
>> rather than a mandate.
>> I see it also as a way to expand what you have been doing individually
>> (collecting collective knowledge) into a self help which is not limited by
>> the time constraints of one person. Initially when there was only 1 foss4g
>> event per year it was possible for one person to be the core driver, but we
>> now have scores of events per year.
>>
>> Bob,
>> I'd anticipate there being subheading in the Cookbook for using the
>> LiveDVD at FOSS4G events.
>>
>>
>> On 7/09/2012 1:00 AM, Basques, Bob (CI-StPaul) wrote:
>>
>>> All,
>>>
>>> Related to this, I've been wondering about how to go about setting up a
>>> business specific LiveDVD. Is there a possible synergy to be had with a
>>> recipe derived DVD (collection?) ??.
>>>
>>> Bobb
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>>> From: discuss-bounces at lists.osgeo.**org<discuss-bounces at lists.osgeo.org>[mailto:
>>>>> discuss-
>>>>> bounces at lists.osgeo.org] On Behalf Of Stephen Woodbridge
>>>>> Sent: Thursday, September 06, 2012 9:43 AM
>>>>> To: discuss at lists.osgeo.org
>>>>> Subject: Re: [OSGeo-Discuss] Should we write a FOSS4G Cookbook?
>>>>> Hello,
>>>>> I think the 'cookbook' is a great idea! It is about capturing our
>>>>> collective knowledge and experience, it not about limiting
>>>>> creativity or change. Just like in software when you have an
>>>>> individual contributor that has passion, vision and drive can
>>>>> create wonderful things, you also have to help the other
>>>>> contributors that are not so visionary to do a good job. The
>>>>> 'cookbook' gives us a recipe for success, it is the basic stuff
>>>>> that you need to know to get the job done successfully. To
>>>>> continue with the analogy a visionary chef looks at the recipe
>>>>> and changes it to suit his creative talents.
>>>>> So it all depends on whether we "require" people to only follow
>>>>> the recipe or we use it as a guideline for people that are
>>>>> volunteering to help but may not have had past experience to get
>>>>> things done correctly.
>>>>> The cookbook is a great idea in my opinion.
>>>>> -Steve W
>>>>> On 9/6/2012 10:14 AM, Jeff McKenna wrote:
>>>>> > Hello Cameron,
>>>>> >
>>>>> > Making sure that a transfer of knowledge happens from one
>>>>> FOSS4G local
>>>>> > committee to the next is something that I've championed for a
>>>>> very
>>>>> > long time now - it is a thankless invisible task that not many
>>>>> are
>>>>> > aware is happening (archiving documents, pinging committee
>>>>> members
>>>>> > over and over to openly archive documents and logos and files,
>>>>> making
>>>>> > sure such critical parts of FOSS4G are kept - ribbon in logo,
>>>>> t-shirts
>>>>> > for attendees, hands-on workshops - to the point that local
>>>>> committees
>>>>> > kind of become annoyed with me).
>>>>> >
>>>>> > My vision of FOSS4G (credit here to original "FOSS4G Heroes"
>>>>> such as
>>>>> > Venka and Markus of course) has always been very simple: to
>>>>> spread the
>>>>> > Open Source Geospatial passion all around the world. It has
>>>>> not been
>>>>> > about money or politics. The result has been FOSS4G local
>>>>> committees
>>>>> > are free to take this passion and mold it into their own
>>>>> vision.
>>>>> > Events such as FOSS4G Cape Town in 2008 are proof of this.
>>>>> >
>>>>> > I worry that such a 'cookbook' will hinder this open passion
>>>>> and
>>>>> > vision for a local committee.
>>>>> >
>>>>> > The first drafts of such a cookbook came many years ago from
>>>>> Paul
>>>>> > Ramsey, from his 2007 experiences. Since then I've heard
>>>>> rumblings
>>>>> > from Arnulf, Cameron and others.
>>>>> >
>>>>> > I guess it is time for such guidelines. For sure we need a
>>>>> conference
>>>>> > Content Management System internal to OSGeo that is required
>>>>> for all
>>>>> > FOSS4G local committees to use (not external systems such as
>>>>> > Basecamp); this is critical.
>>>>> >
>>>>> >
>>>>> > -jeff
>>>>> >
>>>>> >
>>>>> >
>>>>> >
>>>>> >
>>>>> > On 12-09-05 7:34 PM, Cameron Shorter wrote:
>>>>> >> In analysing the downfall of FOSS4G 2012 [1] one of the key
>>>>> lessons
>>>>> >> that became apparent to me is that we are not very efficient
>>>>> at
>>>>> >> passing on Lessons Learned from one conference to the next.
>>>>> >>
>>>>> >> Could we do a better job of knowledge transfer by building an
>>>>> OSGeo
>>>>> >> Conference Body of Knowledge? Something like a FOSS4G Cookbook
>>>>> [2]?
>>>>> >>
>>>>> >> If so, what should be the scope of the cookbook? Should it
>>>>> only be
>>>>> >> for the international FOSS4G event? Should it cover regional
>>>>> >> conferences too? Should it also cover FOSS4G steams in other
>>>>> conferences?
>>>>> >>
>>>>> >> Who thinks this idea is important enough that you would like
>>>>> to help
>>>>> >> write sections of the Cookbook, or help with editing?
>>>>> >>
>>>>> >> What format should we use to write the Cookbook? Maybe a wiki?
>>>>> >>
>>>>> >> I'm interested to help push this idea forward if we as a
>>>>> community
>>>>> >> think that there will be value in such a collaboratively
>>>>> edited document.
>>>>> >>
>>>>> >> If you have an interest, please respond on the OSGeo
>>>>> conference_dev
>>>>> >> email list (rather than OSGeo Discuss)
>>>>> >>
>>>>> >> [1]
>>>>> >> http://cameronshorter.**blogspot.com.au/2012/08/**analysing-<http://cameronshorter.blogspot.com.au/2012/08/analysing->
>>>>> downfall-of-f
>>>>> >> oss4g-2012.html
>>>>> >>
>>>>> >> [2] http://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/**FOSS4G_Cookbook<http://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/FOSS4G_Cookbook>
>>>>> >> [3] http://lists.osgeo.org/**mailman/listinfo/conference_**dev<http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/conference_dev>
>>>>> >>
>>>>> >
>>>>> > ______________________________**_________________
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>>>>> >
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>>>>>
>>>>
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>>
>>
>> --
>> Cameron Shorter
>> Geospatial Solutions Manager
>> Tel: +61 (0)2 8570 5050
>> Mob: +61 (0)419 142 254
>>
>> Think Globally, Fix Locally
>> Geospatial Solutions enhanced with Open Standards and Open Source
>> http://www.lisasoft.com
>>
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--
************************************
David William Bitner
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