linux.conf.au 2017 heads to Hobart, where it was last held in 2009. I absolutely love Tasmania – especially its food and scenery – and am looking forward to heading over.
So, here’s my talk picks – keeping in mind that I’m more devops than kernel hacker – so YMMV.
Executive Summary
- Monday 16th – Networking breakfast, possibly some WootConf sessions and / or Open Knowledge Miniconf sessions.
- Tuesday 17th – Law and policy Miniconf, Community Leadership Summit
- Wednesday 18th – Future Privacy by Michael Cordover, In Case of Emergency – Break Glass by David Bell, Handle Conflict Like a Boss by Deb Nicholson, Internet of Terrible Things by Matthew Garrett.
- Thursday 19th – Network Protocols for IoT Devices by Jon Oxer, Compliance with the GPL by Karen Sandler and Bradley M. Kuhn, Open source and innovation by Allison Randall and Surviving the next 30 years of open source by Karen Sandler.
- Friday 20th – Publicly releasing government models by Audrey Lobo-Pulo
Monday 16th January
I’m keeping Monday open as much as possible, in case there are last minute things we need to do for the Linux Australia AGM, but will definitely start the day with the Opening Reception and Networking Breakfast. A networking breakfast is an unusual choice of format for the Professional Delegates Networking Session (PDNS), but I can see some benefits to it such as being able to initiate key relationships and talking points early in the conference. The test of course will be attendance, and availability of tasty coffee 😀
If I get a chance I’ll see some of the WootConf sessions and/or Open Knowledge Miniconf sessions (the Open Knowledge Miniconf schedule hadn’t been posted at the time of writing).
Tuesday 17th January
The highlight for me in Tuesday’s schedule is the excellent Pia Waugh talking ‘Choose your own Adventure‘. This talk is based on Waugh’s upcoming book, and the philosophical foundations, macroeconomic implications and strategic global trends cover a lot of ground – ground that needs to be covered.
As of the time of writing, the schedule for the Law and Policy Miniconf hadn’t been released, but this area is of interest to me – as is the Community Leadership Summit. I’m interested to see how the Community Leadership Summit is structured this year; in 2015 it had a very unconference feel. This was appropriate for the session at the time, but IMHO what the Community Leadership Summit needs to move towards are concrete deliverables – such as say a whitepaper advising Linux Australia Council on where efforts should be targeted in the year ahead. In this way, the Summit would be able to have a tangible, clear impact.
Wednesday 18th January
I’ll probably head to Dan Callahan’s keynote on ‘Designing for failure’. It’s great to see Jonathan Corbet’s Kernel Report get top billing, but my choice here is between the ever-excellent Michael Codover’s ‘Future Privacy‘ and Cedric Bail’s coverage of ‘Enlightenment Foundation Libraries for Wearables‘. Next up, I’ll be catching David Bell (Director, LCA2016) talking ‘In case of emergency – break glass – BCP, DRP and Digital Legacy‘. There’s nothing compelling for me in the after lunch session, except perhaps Josh Simmon’s ‘Building communities beyond the black stump‘, but this one’s probably too entry-level for me, so it might be a case of long lunch / hallway track.
After afternoon tea, I’ll likely head to Deb Nicholson’s ‘Handle conflict like a boss‘, and then Matthew Garett‘s ‘Internet of terrible things‘ – because Matthew Garrett 😀
Then, it will be time for the Penguin Dinner!
Thursday 19th January
First up, I’m really looking forward to Nadia Eghbal’s ‘People before code‘ keynote about the sustainability of open source projects.
Jon Oxer’s ‘Network Protocol Analysis for IoT Devices‘ is really appealing, particularly given the rise and rise of IoT equipment, and the lack of standards in this space.
It might seem like a dry topic for some, but Bradley M. Kuhn and Karen Sandler from the Software Freedom Conservancy will be able to breathe life into ‘Compliance with the GPL‘ if anyone can; they also bring with them considerable credibility on the topic.
After lunch, I’ll be catching Allison Randall talking on ‘Open source and innovation‘ and then Karen Sandler on ‘Surviving the next 30 years of open source‘. These talks are related, and speak to the narrative of how open source is evolving into different facets of our lives – how does open source live on when we do not?
Friday 20th January
After the keynote, I’ll be catching Audrey Lobo-Pulo on ‘Publicly releasing government models‘ – this ties in with a lot of the work I’ve been doing in open data, and government open data in particular. After lunch, I’m looking forward to James Scheibner’s ‘Guide to FOSS licenses‘, and to finish off the conference on a high note, the ever-erudite and visionary George Fong on ‘Defending the security and integrity of the ‘Net’. Internet Australia, of which Fong is the chair, has many values in common with Linux Australia, and I foresee the two organisations working more closely together in the future.
What are your picks for #lca2017?