Topics for PyCon DC 2003 - Build Your Own Conference!!!!

[http://www.python.org/pycon/ PyCon DC 2003] is not going to be an elitist conference. It needs your help to ensure that there is something for everybody! Chris Johnson has found some basic data on PyConAccommodation which can help you to find a less expensive place to stay. Matt Croydon's notes in PyConForCheap might also help.

What can you do? Well, firstly you can contribute your ideas on this page. It's easy to edit Wiki content, so get to it - just click on Edit Text below! The more contributors we have, the more relevant and interesting PyCon DC 2003 will be. A few topics are listed below to get you started, but you should feel free to add others if you believe the PythonCommunities will benefit from having them covered at this, and future, conferences. You can show your support at PyConRandomExclamationsOfSupport.

What Can I Do for PyCon?

Matt Payne asked me what he could do for PyCon. I came up with a few ideas and, rather than just communicate them privately, I thought I'd use the dynamic nature of the Wiki to throw these out to anybody who might be asking the same question. I'd like to thank Matt for stimulating me to express my ambitions for the conference more clearly -- steve

Well, before PyCon:

• You could help design mechanisms that make sure the audience's interests are reflected in the presentations.
• You could encourage favorite Python authors or contributors to submit a paper by suggesting topics you'd find interesting.
• You could write a paper of your own.
• You could write a lightning talk.
• You could make suggestions on this and related pages to make sure the conference better suits your needs.

• You could organize one or more Wiki pages for use in preparing a Jython track (PyConJython?).

• You could encourage others to contribute to that Wiki, and/or establish other Wiki areas to indicate support for and possibly even sponsorship of particular topics.
• You could publicize the conference anywhere and everywhere relevant.
• You could move to DC :-).
• You could think about all the administrivia that's need to run a friendly and professional conference and produce checklists, liaise with suppliers, suggest sources.
• You could help to get the papers ready for publication on the web.
• You could help to prepare brochures and circulate them.
• You could locate low-cost accommodation in the area and publicize it with transportation options.

During PyCon:

• You could help out at the registration desk.
• You could help to build, operate and tear down the wireless infrastructure we are putting in place to keep everybody up on the Internet.
• You could make sure that speakers are ready to speak, with viewgraphs and handouts as appropriate.
• You could run a BoF (birds-of-a-feather) session or three.
• You could make sure that extempore sessions were recorded.
• You could organize transport sharing to help conferees to keep costs down.
• You could monitor the accommodation position for late arrivals.

• You could put a task force together to organize the *next* PyCon.

• You could offer me a free place

Birds of a Feather Sessions

In many conferences the BoFs are where much of the real communication takes place. If your particular area of interest doesn't manage to generate its own track then at least list a BoF in this section so people can sign up for it.

pydotorg webmasters

overall design and organization of the web site; working methods; webmaster recruitment

• Steve Holden

Sprints

The sprints are intended to benefit the Python core, as well as encouraging more developers to take part in Python's development. They will also be a good place to see ExtremeProgramming or other AgileDevelopment techniques in action. What would you like to see done, or at least attempted?

Here's some information from Guido that will at least give those interested some kind of orientation and set appropriate expectations. A summary: it's fine to express interest, and to record it here along with topic suggestions, but don't expect too much to happen until maybe a month before the conference.

• We can do this in several ways. If we make the sprinters pay extra for use of facilities during the sprint, we can basically handle as many people as sign up. If we pay for the sprint facilities out of conference surplus, we have to be more selective.

  Sprints for pure newbies (no Python experience) probably won't work well, although there are some local folks in DC who have some experience. (George Paci <george@rightinternet.com> should know more; you should ask him if he wants to run one.) Sprints for people with Python experience but no experience on a particular code base (e.g. Zope) can work if there's an introductory talk at the beginning. This is how Jim Fulton does most Zope3 sprints. But that takes time away from sprinting (his intro was almost a full day at the recent sprint in Rotterdam). Sprints need focused projects that have been selected by more experienced developers ahead of time; you can't just get together without a plan and expect much to happen.

  I suggest that we shouldn't try to plan the sprints just yet. But maybe someone can transfer some of this to the Wiki so there's info for people interested in sprints. -- guido, December 18, 2002

We should have a documentation sprint. Last year, we mapped out a month's worth of work to document classic and new style class semantics. It would be really wonderful if we could actually attack this at Pycon and a sprint might be the right forum to do so. Plus it would give lots of folks opportunities to learn about new style classes. -barry

Lightning Talks

At IPC 10 the Developer Day had many short talks on diverse topics. If you can't produce a full-blown paper, offer your own talk (as short as five minutes is acceptable) to distill a part of your hard-won experience and save others the learning time you put in. Or just say what you'd like someone else to give a lightning talk on.

I'm thinking about giving one or more talks on how to be a python developer. Topics could include: CVS 101, submitting patches, helping with bug reports, updating documentation, adding/updating tests, etc. I'd be interested in what people believe is important. -- neal

Feel free to sign up to give a talk that somebody else has suggested.

• Practical ssh -- to explain in simple terms that we can all understand how ssh works and how you can set it up for secure remote access to as many systems as you need. -- I'll do this SH

• Cygwin benefits -- how to be a good open source community member even though you run the Evil Empire's operating system on your laptop.

Volunteers

The absence of professional organizers is the main way to keep the cost of PyCon down, but this means we're relying on YOU to help. Volunteer efforts don't need to be all-embracing -- if we can share the load then no one individual needs to suffer a heart attack to make things happen. This section will detail areas where help is needed, and you are encouraged to put your name down to offer assistance. Make it your conference. Make it our conference. This is a community effort, and it needs people to get involved.

Progress Reports

There are many areas of Python development where it's hard to stay in touch with what's going on. What would you like to see reports about? Two areas that have already been mentioned are Jython/JPython and the PythonBusinessForum. What else is of burning interest? Who is going to give these reports? Sign up here and help to make PyCon relevant and engaging. You don't need to be a professional speaker to help other Pythonistas out with a little information.

Which Batteries?

There seems to be some interest in building Python distributions that combine the core with various third-party libraries. ActiveState is probably the model here, packaging the Python core with Mark Hammond's win32all extensions and various others. How can this be done in ways that make more people's lives easier and at the same time assist the conference theme of Popularizing Python?

Choice of Freebies

If sponsorship is available (as it appears it might be), should the organizers ask for money, to be used to reduce conference registration fees, or should they try to get nice giveaways that your technical friends will think are outrageously cool when you return home? Suggestions, please.

ChoiceOfFreebies

Interested in Jython/J2EE track

I believe there would be intense interest in a track related toPython/Jython's use in J2EE applications that utilize Bean Scripting Framework (BSF).

That's great. It's a long time since I studied Beans, so clearly the Jythoneers will have to put this together. Maybe you and Matt Payne [Payne@MattPayne.org] could create a PyConJython page where the track details could be thrashed out and suitable authors could be press-ganged into submission? -- steve

Note: Please send mail to [pycondc-2003@python.org] after updating this page if you want the organizers to respond with more alacrity.