Anybody have any news about how the miniconf went or is going?
Thanks for the nudge, Adam. I had intended to write during the conference itself -- news straight from the lecture theatre on the wireless connection available there.
A small but enthusiastic group (perhaps 50 people total, though not all at one time) attended the miniconf. The two days of talks covered a range of topics from software development to business to details of using features like mail merge and macros. One of my personal favourites was Jonathon Coombes' talk on working with De Bortoli, one of Australia's largest wine companies, in converting the company to Linux and OpenOffice.org.
Outside the lecture theatre, those of us wearing OOo t-shirts attracted some attention and discussion with people attending other miniconfs. I sat for awhile at a table displaying the books I had brought (I was not allowed to sell them, but I did give away quite a few) and answering questions. Ian Lynch talked about INGOTs and trained some people as assessors.
Both evenings a group of us went to a local pub or restaurant for some informal networking and a general good time. Overall, I would call the conference a success. I took some photos which I will make available as soon as I can (with luck, later today).
<opinion>
I think it's most unfortunate that display space was not a feature of the Linux Conf, as it meant that the outreach aspect was greatly diminished. This is, of course, not the fault of the OOo miniconf organisers, but it did mean that an important marketing aspect could not be exploited. A miniconf like this is valuable for the developers and for a few other people who already know about OOo, but it doesn't reach educators and business people who ought to be a focus for our marketing outreach efforts. We in Australia (and people all around the world) need to do more of what Adam Moore and Ian Lynch are doing, taking OOo to other conferences.
</opinion>
Cheers, Jean
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