LCA 2007 Miniconf
Contents
OOo Miniconf at linux.conf.au 2007
Miniconf Tuesday 16 January 2007 LCA Miniconf page
OpenDay Thursday 18 January 2007 LCA OpenDay page
The annual linux.conf.au (LCA) is one of the major open source events world-wide. The OpenOffice.org community participated in the Miniconf program in Canberra 2005, and again in Dunedin NZ in 2006. Now we have been accepted on the program for 2007.
The 2007 LCA will be held in Sydney, Australia from 15th to 20th January 2007.
If you like to participate in the OOo Miniconf on 16th January 2007, please update this article or email events@marketing.openoffice.org (subscribe)
Developing our Program
LCA is about Linux, but OOo is for all platforms. There is strong interest and support for OOo among the Linux community, and there is much overlap between the two communities, having a shared interest in free software and open source. The LCA Miniconf is currently the only formal OOo event in our region (Australia/NZ).
Experience
The 2005 Miniconf comprised of 2 days mainly being structured presentations with around 40-50 attending most sessions. The 2006 event was smaller but included structured presentations, demonstrations and workshop activities. It was interesting that many of the mainstream LCA conference presenters made use of OOo. During the 2006 event there was strong interest in Q&A and problem solving discussions and one-to-one or small group discussions. Much of the discussion was triggered by, and followed after, structured presentations.
Objectives for 2007 Miniconf
Based on the experience and from comments at the preceding events, the following objectives are proposed for 2007.
flexibility for LCA participants and OOo community to visit different Miniconfs
better opportunity for LCA participants to discuss issues and get help
more demonstration of OOo capabilities
Program
The OOo Miniconf will run for one day, including a small number of structured presentations. Informal workshops, Q&A and problem solving will be available continuously through the day. This will provide flexibility for participants to come and go when they like. It will also allow us to be responsive to needs or interests of individuals attending LCA, while also providing for in-depth focus on a few issues of significance for OOo.
Formal Sessions
Topics currently envisaged are:
case study about some interesting users of OOo
development and demonstration of special capabilities of OOo
report on community building and new developments
a guide to learning and help resources available to users
At some time during the program, there may be scope for a group discussion about next steps toward a dedicated OOo event for our region.
Suggested Presentations
Proposals are sought for presentations in the formal sessions. Please enter suggestions in the table below or private email to sparcmoz@openoffice.org
Do not worry about there being too many, possible duplications, off topic etc, we can sort that out later:
| Name | Topic |
|---|---|
| Michael Still | Experiences of an author preparing a manuscript for publication using OOo |
| Michael Carden | National Archives of Australia use of OOo as a plugin to their Xena software for conversion of Office formats to ODF for preservation purposes. |
| Jim Watson | Developments in OOo - an overview of current community projects and some insights into the process |
Demonstrations
A number of workstations will be provided running OOo on different platforms. The following are already available, please add to the list if you can bring something, even if it is already listed, and later we can work out the best distribution of effort. Something with access to the conference wireless network, and some additional projectors would be useful.
OOo on GNU/Linux SPARC Sunblade 100
OOo on GNU/Linux Intel Compaq Armada 1750 (1999 vintage laptop)
portable projectors
These workstations and projectors will be used for one-on-one or small group problem solving and demonstration of features, to be run on-demand through the 2 days.
Some prepared demonstrations can be run on a continuous basis and re-cycled on demand. These would run for about 15-20 mins. Planned subjects for demonstrations include:
using styles in Writer
spreadsheet techniques using Calc
effective presentations with Impress
less well known features - database, math, etc
Any of the demonstrations can be adapted for larger groups if there is sufficient interest.
Demonstrations, Q&A and problem solving will be adapted and responsive to issues raised by vistors or participants in the Miniconf.
Timetable
The LCA Miniconf organisers have asked us to arrange our sessions to align with the conference timetable shown below. This will make it easier for people to drift between Miniconfs. We don't need to schedule the number of talks exactly as shown but what we do should fit into the time lines...
| Time | Session |
| 0900 | KEYNOTE (non-miniconf time) |
| 1030 | MORNING TEA |
| 1100 | TALK 1 - Start |
| 1140 | TALK 1 - End |
| 1150 | TALK 2 - Start |
| 1230 | TALK 2 - End |
| 1230 | LUNCH |
| 1400 | TALK 3 - Start |
| 1440 | TALK 3 - End |
| 1450 | TALK 4 - Start |
| 1530 | TALK 4 - End |
| 1530 | AFTERNOON TEA |
| 1600 | TALK 5 - Start |
| 1640 | TALK 5 - End |
| 1650 | TALK 6 - Start |
| 1730 | TALK 6 - End |
| 1730 | CLOSE |
Basically the day consists of 4 * 1.5 hour sessions. Which, depending on the day will either be 1 * 90 minute tutorial, 2 * 40 minute talks, or 4 * 15 minute short talks.
Rules (from LCA Organisers)
The policy for miniconfs signage, sponsorship and merchandise is:
1/ All signage will be supplied by the organisers. So this is basically a no to the posters (promoting a product). Miniconf organisers interested in promoting their projects can approach Pia for space at openday.
2/ Miniconfs in general are not sponsored. Any sponsorship ideas should go through Jeff.
3/ Miniconfs can sell merchandise for the miniconf itself, but not general project merch. E.g: T-Shirt with "Ratpoison -- 2007 - Sydney", would be fine, a Ratpoison branded mouse pad, would not.
There will be one central place for all posters for the duration of the conference.
About linux.conf.au 2007
linux.conf.au is Australia's annual technical conference for the Open Source and Free Software developer community. Now in its eighth year, linux.conf.au is regarded as one of the premier global FLOSS technical events and attracts many international open source software developers and users.
Returning to Sydney from the 15th to 20th of January, linux.conf.au 2007 is supported by our Emperor sponsors, HP and IBM, and hosted at the University of New South Wales. For more information about linux.conf.au 2007 visit our website at: http://lca2007.linux.org.au/
About Linux Australia
Linux Australia exists to serve and promote the Australian Linux and Open Source community. The organisation aims to do this best by taking enthusiasms within the community, such as FOSS issues, projects, education, advocacy just to name a few, and help them flourish, to succeed. The lifeblood of this organisation is the people in the community, and Linux Australia strives to be both relevant and useful to the community. For more details about Linux Australia visit: http://www.linux.org.au/
