[CREATE] Libre Graphics workshops, BoFs, et.c. sessions at DesktopSummit 2011

[Jon Nordby]

The call for participation for Workshop & BoFs for the DesktopSummit
2011 (which is in Berlin between August 6th and 12th) has just been
published. Info here: http://desktopsummit.org/program/workshops-bofs

Excerpt:
"All forms of activities that aim to further the Free Desktop by
getting people together to discuss, work and make decisions are
welcomed. Examples of such sessions include BoF sessions
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birds_of_a_Feather_%28computing%29),
project and cross-project meetings, workshops, hacking sessions and
training/teaching sessions. Each session is self-organized and it is
up to the hosts and participants to decide if the session is to be
loosely oriented around a set of topics, or have a well-defined
agenda."

As graphics software is a critical part of a desktop, I would say that
Libre Graphics is naturally a critical part of the Free Desktop.

This might be especially interesting for:
- BoFs, et.c. on topics that have an impact on a wider audience and
(color management, file formats, general interoperability, et.c.)
- Projects meetings for projects who did not have a strong presence in
LGM 2011 in Montreal that still want to get together face-to-face this
year.
- Teaching our tools to the free desktop contributors who rely on them
in their workflow, and getting feedback from them
- Hacking sessions

I am going to be present at least, and if there is interest will do a
session on OpenRaster (I have a lighting talk on it as well).


Full announcement follows
=========================

Call for Participation: Workshops & BoFs at the Desktop Summit 2011


The Desktop Summit 2011 is a joint conference organised by the GNOME
and KDE  communities in Berlin, Germany from the 6th August 2011 to
the 12th  August 2011. Held annually in cities around Europe, GUADEC
and Akademy are the world's largest gatherings of those involved with
the free desktop or mobile user interfaces. Developers, artists,
translators, community organisers, users, and representatives from
government, education, and businesses and anyone else who shares an
interest are welcome. GNOME and KDE are Free Software communities that
drive the user interfaces of many GNU/Linux-powered devices, ranging
from smartphones to laptops, or personal media centers. This year, for
the second time, both communities have decided to organise a single,
joint conference  expecting over a thousand participants, covering
both projects as well as related technologies.


<h2>Not Just Presentations</h2>
The Desktop Summit will have an exciting program of talks
(https://www.desktopsummit.org/program). But the most important part
of the conference are the Workshop & BoF days. This is the part of the
conference where the participants get together to discuss and work on
the future of the Free Desktop. It is where the latest technology is
demonstrated in a one-to-few setting and where decisions are made.
The organisation committee would like to schedule as many of these
sessions beforehand as possible. We expect over 1000 visitors and
scheduling helps to ensure minimal overlap with other sessions and
allows us to provide a clear timetable for the visitors.
The remainder of the rooms will be scheduled via the wiki but we urge
you all to try and get a proposal in before the deadline! We realize
that many sessions are meant to be about current and urgent topics so
we don't expect proposals to have an exact agenda, nor do we mind if
the subject changes later on.


<h2>Session requirements</h2>
All forms of activities that aim to further the Free Desktop by
getting people together to discuss, work and make decisions are
welcomed. Examples of such sessions include BoF sessions
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birds_of_a_Feather_%28computing%29),
project and cross-project meetings, workshops, hacking sessions and
training/teaching sessions. Each session is self-organized and it is
up to the hosts and participants to decide if the session is to be
loosely oriented around a set of topics, or have a well-defined
agenda.
Each session is meant to be open to anyone who is interested, if you
want to organize a closed session on a subject, contact the
organisation (details below).
We encourage participants to make use of the fact that the Desktop
Summit will bring together people from several different communities,
and the unique opportunities this creates.


<h2>Reserving a spot on the Workshop & BoF Days</h2>
To register a session, use the form found on the the Workshops & BoFs
webpage on the Desktop Summit website
(http://desktopsummit.org/program/workshops-bofs). This requires
logging in to the Desktop Summit wiki (using the same login details as
on the website). Please check the sessions that have already been
proposed before creating a new one
(http://wiki.desktopsummit.org/index.php?title=Category:DS2011WorkshopProposal)

You will need to provide the following:
* Title of session
* Session hosts (names, contact info)[1]
* Short description of the session. Between 150 and 400 words please.
* Format of the session[2]
* Expected number of attendees
* Numbers of hours you think you need
* Special requirements/requests (equipment, room and scheduling)
[1] All sessions require at least two hosts to sign up to take care of them.
[2] Format can be any of the following: BoF, team meeting, hacking
session, workshop, training/teaching session.

The deadline for pre-registered sessions is July 3rd. Sessions
registered before this time will be scheduled by the organization team
between July 3rd and July 10th.

For sessions registered after this date, attendees themselves are
responsible for finding a time and location for the session. Rooms
will be available for this for the duration of the Workshop & BoF
days, and the wiki can be used to coordinate.

Please note that the schedule for talks has already been published and
these sessions are meant to be hands-on, not "read-only"!
In case of questions regarding the conference please consult the
Desktop Summit web site or contact the Desktop Summit organising team
under ds-team at desktopsummit.org.

-- 
Jon Nordby - www.jonnor.com