[CREATE] TO THE DEVS — DECISION ABOUT LGM 2011

[Yuval Levy]

Salut Luis,

> it would be great to know, as a team, if :

Hugin is loosely organized.  I'll try to give you some answers.  Some of
our contributors are on this list as well and can chime in if they feel
the need.


> a) You have enough information to make a call on the proposed LGM venues
> for 2011? if not, what are you missing?

Missing comparable travel times and cost.  A unified template, to make the
bids comparable, from an individual as well as from a collective
perspective.

Even with the information complete, IMHO it is too early for individuals
to commit fixed.


> b) You had enough time for a round of internal discussions to see whether
> a significant portion of your team will make it to any of the 3 possible
> venues? If not, how much time would you like to have for such a round
> before making it a team decision?


Most of our devs are in Europe, nevertheless we had much less presence in
Bruxelles than in Montreal.  The learning is: we can live with any of the
three possible venues.  Other factors than geography are more important.

Location is an hygiene factor, much like internet access.  Not a motivator.

The motivator for our contributors to make it to any venue is the expected
benefit from the meeting; and it is weighted against the cost factors
(time and money).

The most relevant factor for our contributors to make it to *any* venue is
freeing up time.  Last year there was a lot at stake for Hugin and so
people made the effort to attend LGM.


> c) You are in the end satisfied by the process? if not please give some
> hints on how to improve this process.

given a lot (maybe too much) of these lately :)


> d) You are ready to make your call about the venues? if yes, please make
> it now, if not please tell us when, and maybe why!

What call?  there are are two of them:
1) where will the next LGM will take place?
2) will I participate?

The second one should not hinder the first.  But can anybody who is not a
die-hard afficionado commit already now to participate?  I don't think so.

I think we have to live with the information available and make the first
call.  Things will get better with the two years process in place.

As for the second one, my personal odds for participation at LGM2011,
whether in Canada, in Vietnam, or in Brazil, are 50%-50% for all three
venues.


> e) Do you think the guidelines are helpful? if not, are they useless? can
> we improve them or should we simply remove the code?

helpful, yes.  I think there should be a stricter framework so that the
numbers provided in each bid are really comparable.


> f) What do you think of the bidding process? Should we keep it as it is, a
> one-year process? or should we make it a two-year process?

two years.

> And do you think
> again you have enough information to make a real choice? Please explain.

no, because I do not know how the 15$/night hotel in Vietnam compares to
the 45$/night in Canada; because I do not know how many minutes local
transport from the hotels to the venue are to be considered in Brazil or
in Vietnam; because I don't know what kind of vaccination I need to take
to travel to one of these locations.  And the list could go on.

Yuv