Folks<br><br>Im going to suggest we postpone the hackfest. Those who are able to attend the FOSS4G in South Africa this year, we can try to make a QGIS post conference excursion and hackfest. My suggestion is we rent a small bus (or car depending on numbers) and visit a nature reserve for a few days to a week depending on time available, and hack fest in the evenings after doing some sightseeing in the daytime. I can try to organise things from this side (plan an itinery, booking car hire & accommodation etc). If you are interested in the post conference excursion please contact me and I will start making arrangements. I will try to get some ballpark figures of what it will cost for 5 nights following the conference. If you have suggestions / requirements for shorter / longer stay let me know when you contact me too. I would suggest staying at De Hoop nature reserve (about 250km from Cape Town) from where we can also make day Trips to Grootvadersbosch nature reserve, Swellendam, Agulhas (the very southern tip of Africa) and various other places of interest.<br>
<br><a href="http://www.capenature.org.za/reserves.htm?reserve=De+Hoop+Nature+Reserve#reserve_tabs">http://www.capenature.org.za/reserves.htm?reserve=De+Hoop+Nature+Reserve#reserve_tabs</a><br><a href="http://www.capenature.org.za/reserves.htm?reserve=Grootvadersbosch+Nature+Reserve#reserve_tabs">http://www.capenature.org.za/reserves.htm?reserve=Grootvadersbosch+Nature+Reserve#reserve_tabs</a><br>
<br>Following this we can aim to hold a more official hackfest in 2009, with a funding drive before hand so that we can try to enable as many developers as possible to attend.<br><br>Best regards<br><br>Tim<br><br>2008/6/9 Marco Hugentobler <<a href="mailto:marco.hugentobler@karto.baug.ethz.ch">marco.hugentobler@karto.baug.ethz.ch</a>>:<br>
> Hi,<br>><br>> Unfortunately, I'm not able to attend the jam session. I heard (also very<br>> short notice) that in the week from 24th to 30th, I need to travel to a<br>> meeting of the university project I'm working for.<br>
><br>> Regards,<br>> Marco<br>><br>> Am Samstag 07 Juni 2008 08:37:03 schrieb Andrea Giacomelli (pibinko):<br>>> Dear QGIS developers who stirred the idea of having and<br>>> end-of-June Hackfest.<br>
>><br>>> I am writing as Vicepresident and media relations manager<br>>> for GFOSS.it<br>>><br>>> I am not able to follow the QGIS-community-team, so I am day<br>>> by day receiving news about this through Anne.<br>
>><br>>> I have been involved in the "could be hackfest" initiative<br>>> following an initial brainstorming with Paolo (this was<br>>> sometime in April), and following more recent requests by<br>
>> Anne (last week).<br>>> In both cases I was enthusiastic about the possibility of<br>>> holding such events in Southern Tuscany, given my family<br>>> roots, so I wanted to give you my view on how things are<br>
>> developing.<br>>><br>>> The last news I heard, yesterday, is that there is some<br>>> uncertainty in the potential participants due to a<br>>> combination of possibliy high cost of flights and evaluation<br>
>> of strategies for the release of version 1.0 (should the<br>>> hackfest be before, during, or after FOSS4G ?).<br>>><br>>> The interesting part of the story for me is that in any case<br>>> we will have some GFOSS.it representatives in Massa<br>
>> Marittima (Southern Tuscany) at the end of June.<br>>> As a consequence of our inquiries to identify a location<br>>> with internet connectivity, to host the would-be HackFest,<br>>> we have been invited to set up a stand in the night of June<br>
>> 28 in this town (it is a medieval centre...very scenic night<br>>> ambiance).<br>>> This will be in the context of an all-night-long city<br>>> celebration (La notte bianca).<br>>> This event wouldn't take place on its own.<br>
>> We are waiting sometime next week for the confirmation of<br>>> the availability of a space with internet connection, owned<br>>> by the Comunità Montana (this is one of the local<br>>> administration offices).<br>
>> We would have this space for free, being GFOSS.it a<br>>> not-for-profit association registered in Italy, and we have<br>>> full attention of the local community.<br>>> We may actually see new potential developers showing up and<br>
>> asking to help.<br>>><br>>> So: we are still waiting for a formal approval of this<br>>> request (just as we are waiting for a formal confirmation of<br>>> the presence of some of you guys), but we are pretty<br>
>> committed to this and we had verbal formal assurance that we<br>>> will have the space.<br>>><br>>> The great thing about all this is that even if we don't get<br>>> the internet facility in Massa Marittima, we can quickly<br>
>> check other options, and even if all of you won't come, we<br>>> will still be holding an event which will provide further<br>>> visibility to GFOSS.it (and to QGIS) ;)<br>>><br>>> Clearly: it would be very nice if *at least a couple of you*<br>
>> (and not many more) manage to show up.<br>>><br>>> For whatever may happen: given the Sat 28 night event (which<br>>> is expected also to be characterized by a strong Tuscan wine<br>>> and food component), it makes sense to plan things around<br>
>> that date.<br>>><br>>> For those of you who may be coming from North of the Alps<br>>> and may be travelling by train or "mitfahr centrale" etc:<br>>> why not consider the possibility of passing earlier by<br>
>> Milano (in this period we may even have some lodging<br>>> available for free...we need to check).<br>>><br>>> ...basically I am proposing a "we are the QGIS community"<br>>> Summer tour 2008 in Italy.<br>
>><br>>> If you are interested in this *potential* initiative, please<br>>> send me a copy of your resume (as requested in my first<br>>> e-mail).<br>>><br>>> If not, I am sure we may find a way to have a mix of live<br>
>> and remote interaction (e.g. if Tim doesn't make it because<br>>> of flight prices), I would figure we could have the event<br>>> somewhere, and Tim on a webcam+IRC or similar solutions.<br>>> I can see several people in Tuscany (many of which users,<br>
>> who could provide "bottom up" indications to developers)<br>>> thrilled about attending such an event.<br>>><br>>> One last thing: as I don't know you personally, and we have<br>>> not interacted in the past: if all this seems odd, feel free<br>
>> to inquire with Paolo or Anne about similar projects we have<br>>> been working on over the past year.<br>>><br>>> Thank you for your attention over a long message, and<br>>> regards!<br>>><br>
>> Andrea - aka pibinko<br>>> <a href="http://www.pibinko.org">http://www.pibinko.org</a><br>>><br>>> p.s. for whatever will take place between Jun 24 and June 30<br>>> in Southern Tuscany (which we have renamed "Jam Session"<br>
>> also to make sure that the REAL hackfest takes place with a<br>>> more structured planning whenever the developer community<br>>> feels like it) we will need confirmation by whoever is<br>>> interested by Monday, June 9.<br>
>><br>>><br>>><br>>><br>>><br>>><br>>> ----- Original Message -----<br>>> Da : Anne Ghisla <<a href="mailto:a.ghisla@studenti.uninsubria.it">a.ghisla@studenti.uninsubria.it</a>><br>
>> A : <a href="mailto:tim@linfiniti.com">tim@linfiniti.com</a>, <a href="mailto:marco.hugentobler@karto.baug.ethz.ch">marco.hugentobler@karto.baug.ethz.ch</a>,<br>>> <a href="mailto:marco.pasetti@alice.it">marco.pasetti@alice.it</a>, <a href="mailto:otto.dassau@gmx.de">otto.dassau@gmx.de</a>,<br>
>> <a href="http://wonder.sk">wonder.sk</a>@<a href="http://gmail.com">gmail.com</a><br>>> Cc: Paolo Cavallini <<a href="mailto:cavallini@faunalia.it">cavallini@faunalia.it</a>>,<br>>> <a href="mailto:info@pibinko.org">info@pibinko.org</a><br>
>> Oggetto : was: [Qgis-community-team] Hackfest 2008 (and<br>>> while the wiki is down)<br>>> Data : Thu, 05 Jun 2008 15:34:44 +0200<br>>><br>>> > > All -<br>>> > ><br>>> > > 1) I am writing following Anne's message from last week.<br>
>> > > I see that <a href="http://qgis.org">qgis.org</a> is still down (and I heard about the<br>>> ><br>>> > major outage).<br>>> ><br>>> > Waiting for news from QGIS wiki, I set up a page on<br>
>> > GFOSS.it wiki:<br>>> ><br>>> > <a href="http://wiki.gfoss.it/index.php/QGIS_Jam_session2008">http://wiki.gfoss.it/index.php/QGIS_Jam_session2008</a><br>>> ><br>>> > feel free to edit it (I can't remember all the contents of<br>
>> > the page on qgis wiki). You will need to create an<br>>> > account. Otherwise, we can collect all informations via<br>>> > mail, and I'll update the page.<br>>> ><br>>> > regards,<br>
>> ><br>>> > Anne<br>>> ><br>>> ><br>>> ><br>>> ><br>>> ><br>>> ><br>>> > [Allegato : a.ghisla@studenti.uninsubria.it.sig]<br>><br>><br>
><br>> --<br>> Dr. Marco Hugentobler<br>> Institute of Cartography<br>> ETH Zurich<br>> Technical Advisor QGIS Project Steering Committee<br>><br><br><br><br>-- <br>Tim Sutton<br>QGIS Project Steering Committee Member - Release Manager<br>
Visit <a href="http://qgis.org">http://qgis.org</a> for a great open source GIS<br>openModeller Desktop Developer<br>Visit <a href="http://openModeller.sf.net">http://openModeller.sf.net</a> for a great open source ecological niche modelling tool<br>
Home Page: <a href="http://tim.linfiniti.com">http://tim.linfiniti.com</a><br>Skype: timlinux<br>Irc: timlinux on #qgis at <a href="http://freenode.net">freenode.net</a><br>