Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!steinmetz!ge-dab!codas!pdn!reggie From: reggie@pdn.UUCP (George W. Leach) Newsgroups: comp.org.usenix Subject: Re: Suggestion on USENIX scheduling Message-ID: <2305@pdn.UUCP> Date: 22 Feb 88 18:09:25 GMT References: <109@ccd700.UUCP> <281@hi3.aca.mcc.com.UUCP> <7269@brl-smoke.ARPA> <23203@cmcl2.NYU.EDU> Reply-To: reggie@pdn.UUCP (George W. Leach) Distribution: na Organization: Paradyne Corporation, Largo FL Lines: 90 Summary: Must UniForum and USENIX be held concurrenlty? In article <23203@cmcl2.NYU.EDU> grob@cmcl2.UUCP (Lori S. Grob) writes: > [stuff about nature of USENIX Conf deleted....] >None the less it is professional as opposed to recreational. It is also >coordinated with /usr/group for at least one conference a year. This brings us to an interesting point. The reason for the recent conference being held in Dallas was to make it easy for USENIX attendees to attend the UniForum Trade Show. Being this was the first time I made it to a Winter USENIX being held in the same city as UniForum, it was my first experiences with UniForum. My question for discussion is: how important a factor is it to people that they be able to attend a UniForum Trade Show while attending a USENIX Conference? Certainly, without this restriction there would be more variety in sites for the winter conference. As long as the winter conference is held concurrently with UniForum, we will be restricted to Washington, D.C., Dallas, and what ever west coast site UniForum chooses. UniForum is mostly being rotated among these three sites, so that is all if the winter conference is continued to be scheduled concurrently with UniForum. Someone was complaining about going to Dallas in 1988, three years after the 1985 conference. Well get ready for it again in 1991, 94, 97,...... Got it! There are good arguments for and against holding the two concurrenlty. For many folks who can not go to UNIX EXPO in New York each October, UniForum provides a great way to see what is new in products. By scheduling the winter conference along with UniForum this provides such a person the opportunity to see what is new in technology and in products. It has been argued that if both conferences were not scheduled at the same time, there would be less attendance at USENIX. Is this really true? I attended the winter conference in Denver back in 1986 and thought it was a great success. For me there were enough vendors who set up suites to demonstrate products. Most of the stuff that you see at the trade shows is not really new anyway (or shouldn't be) to those who are technically oriented. For the business folk I'm sure it is a different situation. Perhaps the question should be: how many business versus technical people attend USENIX that wouldn't come if UniForum were not there? Besides the vendors at USENIX are prepared (I hope) to deal with people who are more technically astute than the typical UniForum attendee. One problem I had with trying to see everything I could at the trade show and all of the conference sessions was the distance one had to travel, the time it took, and the limited number of hours that the trade show was open after the USENIX conference sessions were over. The hours of the trade show were: Tuesday - Noon to 7 PM Wednesday - 10 AM to 6 PM Thursday - 10 Am to 4 PM Tuesday and Wednesday were tutorial days, so if one does not attend the tutorials then you can spend lots of time at UniForum. However, it is possible to attend tutorials, hop on the shuttle and get to UniForum for some limited time at the trade show. But the weather has a lot to do with that as some people found out in Dallas. However, forget the Thursday session, it overlaps with the conference sessions at USENIX. If the trade show's hours were more flexible it would make it more worthwhile. But, in order to attend the trade show I had to forget about any tutorials. In addition, one must make scheduling decisions concerning BOF sessions and other events at both conferences. In fact, some BOFs would probably been better off being held at USENIX rather than UniForum. For example, the Sun BOFs, most of which were announced here, were held on Monday evening. The turnout was rather sparse. If these sessions had been held at USENIX rather than UniForum, the rooms probably would have been overflowing. Another problem, would be for vendors. If I were a vendor wouldn't I rather kill two birds with one stone? Why go to USENIX and get a suite and then go to UniForum and rent floor space? Well I would say it is a case of quantity versus quality. UniForum certainly packs em in, but USENIX attracts the kind of crowd that any vendor would like to show their product off to. The people who attend USENIX will have as much input, if not more, into purchasing decisions than the business types who attend UniForum, as UNIX EXPO as well, with that wide eyed look in their eyes. So, you say why am I going on and on and on about this anyway? I mean so whats the big deal anyway. Well, there are a group of us down here in Florida who would like to bring a USENIX conference to this area. The winter conference would be ideal because January is an off month for the local tourist trade. The rates are lower and the area is less crowded. And certainly the weather is better than Washington or Dallas :-) However, as long as the winter conference continues to follow UniForum this will not happen. We may still be able to sponsor a summer conference, but the situation for a winter conference would seem to be ideal. Any Comments???? -- George W. Leach Paradyne Corporation {gatech,rutgers,attmail}!codas!pdn!reggie Mail stop LF-207 Phone: (813) 530-2376 P.O. Box 2826 Largo, FL 34649-2826