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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:

During PyCon:

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

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 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.

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

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.

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