[HarfBuzz] Updates Regarding Text Layout Working Group Meeting At LGM in Wrocław, Poland

[Ed Trager]

Hi, everyone,

Here is the current status regarding organizing the next Text Layout
Meeting (TLM):

=========
SUMMARY:
=========

(1) Linux Foundation will only sponsor meetings attached to Linux
Collaboration Summits.  This means no sponsorship for TLM at LGM in
Poland.

(2) LGM organizers will be happy to provide us meeting space at LGM.

(3) My suggestion is that we continue the plans for a meeting at LGM
for those who can attend this year, and that next year we plan to have
the next TLM as part of one of the LF-sponsored Linux Collaboration
Summits.


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DETAILS BELOW:
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(1) LINUX FOUNDATION RESPONSE TO OUR FUNDING REQUEST ==========================

I spoke with Jim Zemlin, the Executive Director of the Linux
Foundation (LF) , by phone recently.  The LF will be happy to provide
funding if the Text Layout Meeting is held in conjunction with a
LF-sponsored event such as one of the Linux Collaboration Summits.

The second LF CollabSummit will be held in Austin, Texas, USA on April
8–10 and is hosted by IBM at the University of Texas Super Computing
center.

In the Fall, there will be a LF CollabSummit in Manhattan.

Zemlin told me LF would be happy to provide sponsorship if TLM wanted
to meet at either of these venues this year.

I asked Jim about the "Big Pond" issue -- that is, the fact that many
developers are in Europe and Asia.  Jim told me that, yes, the LF is
also planning various events over in Europe and Asia, so TLM
developers could probably get some sponsorship if a TLM event were
held in conjunction with a LF event in Europe or Asia in the future.

The bottom line message which Jim Zemlin conveyed to me was that it is
far easier for the LF to provide accountability to its own members and
sponsoring organizations (big companies like IBM, HP, Fujitsu,
Hitachi, Oracle, NEC, Sun, etc. -- see
http://www.linux-foundation.org/en/Members) for the money it spends
directly through its own events like the Collaboration Summits.

The past policy of providing travel funding to developers to attend
events sponsored by other groups such as Gnome or KDE no longer
applies. (Recall that last year some TLM attendees received travel and
accomodation sponsorship from LF for the TLM meeting at aKademy in
Glasgow).

(2) LGM ORGANIZERS RESPONSE ==================================================

Below I copy Kamila Giedrojc's response to my email regarding having a
TLM meeting as part of LGM in Wrocław, Poland :

---------------------
from	kamila giedrojc <kamila.giedrojc at gmail.com>
to	Ed Trager <ed.trager at gmail.com>,
date	Jan 13, 2008 6:10 PM
subject	Re: Possible Text Layout Working Group Meeting Attached to LGM

Hi Ed,

Happy New Year too! I'm glad to meet you.
I'm sure LGM 2008 will be a perfect place for the Free Desktop Text
Layout Working Group to meet and discuss about the future.


>    (1)  Could we get a meeting room which could hold 12 to 24 people?
>         (We had about 12 people last year when we met in Glasgow as
> part of the KDE conference.)
>

We already booked some of the rooms for 20 people. But I'll make sure
that one of them is booked specially for TLM.

>    (2) Will LGM or the University be able to provide us with a
> projector for presentations, or would we have to bring our own
> projector?
>

We will surly have projectors for the talks in the 2 big conference rooms.
If you need one for the smaller room, it would be much easier for us, if
you could bring it with you.
However if it's impossible, I can check what we can do about it.

>    (3) Does LGM this year have plans for putting presentations out on
> YouTube or a similar video site?
>         (We did record video last year, but both our "pre" and "post"
> production was not very well organized -- This year I want to make
> sure we do better.)
>

We definitely plan to do that. We could probable count also on a polish
team, that deals with recording.
As soon as I get the news from them I'll contact you, to see if a
cooperation could be possible, is that ok for you?

>    (4) Accomodations : Could we get a big dormitory room or apartment?
>         (Last year in Glasgow we were able to book a university
> dormitory wing with 8 small bedrooms and shared living/bathing areas.
> We got a really good deal which made accomodations very inexpensive.
> I hope that we can do a similar thing this year).
>

There are 2 choices. The first one is a good quality hostel
(ex.http://www.nathansvilla.com/wroclaw.html), that has a dormitory. The
second is - renting an apartment (though they not always have internet
connection). Both solutions should not be expensive. Soon I'll  publish
more news about it on the LGM website.
If you plan to book the hostel or apartment now, please write to
info at itwroclaw.pl . They will have the most updated offer of hostels and
apartments.


Would you also be interested in giving a talk about what you are working
at the moment?

cheers!
Kamila Giedrojc
-----------------------

(3) ED'S SUGGESTIONS MOVING FORWARD
===================================================

Here are my thoughts:

     3.1. We continue the plans to have a TLM meeting at LGM in Wrocław.

     3.2. Those who can attend will attend. Behdad and others will be
there.  People who plan to attend PLEASE FILL IN YOUR NAMES
           ON THE WEB PAGE AT
http://www.freedesktop.org/wiki/TextLayout2008Attendees .  I will try
to update the web pages based on
           what I know as soon as I have some time.

     3.3. Those who can't attend won't.  That includes me -- I have no
sponsorship from my employer nor from elsewhere.

     3.4. At LGM in Wrocław we decide about which future LF
Collaboration Summit venue would be best for the next TLM after
Wrocław.

     3.5. I think the LF Collab Summit in Austin in April is coming up
too soon so I don't see Austin as a viable option compared to
           Wrocław.  There is already a lot of excited discussion
about what can be discussed in Wrocław, so I think it is fairly
evident that
           Wrocław is the preferred venue this time around.

     3.6. If we could really manage to get YouTube videos of each
presentation this year, I think that would go a long, long way toward
           maintaining open communication with the wider community who
are unable to attend Wrocław in person.

     3.7. Anyone who wishes to disagree with my take on all of this,
please feel free to do so.

Best Wishes -- Ed Trager