On Tue, Jan 24, 2012 at 7:22 PM, Mark Holmquist marktraceur@gmail.com wrote:
[...] This brings me to a question: Is the Free Software community so diminutive that no speakers wanted to address them? Or is this a preference of the SCaLE planners that is manifesting in policy? Another question: Is it wise, given this conference's need for attendees, to systematically exclude any community that would otherwise want to attend? I hope to discuss this further upon replies.
I, for one, refused to attend for those very reasons, so I hope that you will consider changing these policies, or maybe asking for term-agnostic presentations, before next year's conference. Thanks.
Mark, if you chose not to attend the conference because it didn't have the content you wanted in concentration, it seems to me that the principles of choice and marketplace were in operation here. This is why all conferences publish their schedules in advance. But I know you were disappointed and I'm sorry we missed you. I think you know that SCaLE does not have a policy of exclusion, but there certainly _is_ a policy that facilitates whatever communities may not have been fully represented in the body of talks: Those are the BoFs. And those are cost free because they are supported by everyone else. Next year I hope that you come and run a BoF that promotes those critical, overlooked activities in your community. I want to be around passionate people who work hard contributing to open source efforts, so please shoot me an email, and I'll join you in the front row. With cookies.
...lori