audience

[Allan Jude]

On 2014-01-28 12:09, George Rosamond wrote:
> Hugh Meyer:
>> If you keep the focus on BSD I think your draw would be stronger, at
>> least to the BSD folks. I really want to attend and have several NetBSD
>> systems in production. I am in Indiana. I asked the only person I
>> thought would be interested in going with me if he wanted to come along.
>> He just sent me a link to a bunch of Linux conferences. I just have a
>> scheduling conflict I am trying to resolve.
> Oh, the focus is exclusively BSD.  We don't do much else.
>
> The point is: who is the audience?
>
> Most BSD events (cons, UG meetings, etc) focus on the current user base,
> whether devs or sysadmins.  This is rightfully justified in most cases,
> and shouldn't change.
>
> In NYC, we are a significant part of the open source scene.  We are
> well-respected.  People in and around NYC*BUG have migrated
> infrastructures to BSD.  Because of NYC*BUG, a number of BSD-using firms
> crawled out of the woodwork and joined the community at-large.  Note the
> east coast FreeBSD mirror at NYI, as a case in point.  And there's lots
> of other examples.  We have even given the illusion that this is a BSD
> city :)
>
> It is hard to go to a general open source tech event in NYC and *not*
> get into discussions about the latest Slashdot gossip.  "OpenBSD is
> collapsing"  "FreeBSD is going bankrupt"  "You cant do any
> virtualization with the BSDs".. the usual fud, except this is among
> people we often have some level of acquaintance with or at least know of
> our existence.
>
> OTOH, most of us despise the fashionable meetings on config management
> or the new web frameworks that will cure world hunger.  We want to have
> meetings that are of interest to our broad core, yet make them
> accessible to non-BSD users.
>
> And that's why our CFP and speakers' angles are about *why* the BSDs are
> uniquely equipped for Xfunction, and not pep rallies for merely "really,
> you *can* run a BSD for Xfunction."
>
> We aren't just whining "the bsds aren't dead", but "here's some of the
> things the bsds do best."
>
> We need to think about engaging others more seriously.  We have always
> done some of that, but making it more the focus on this con is the
> point.  I think BSD people should get as much as the non-BSD types.  And
> I think it applies to more than just NYC*BUG and NYCBSDCon.  (not in any
> way dismissing other cons at all, dev summits, etc.)
>
> I really hope the con speakers on this list are taking notes :)
>
> g
>
> PS: MWL sparking this thread is hugely appreciated.  IMHO, he's always
> gotten the point of talking to BSD users of all stripes, yet engaging
> those beyond the regulars.
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That is the kind of content we are interested in for the BSD Now podcast
as well. Why you SHOULD use *BSD to do X, not just 'hey look, BSD can do
X too'.

-- 
Allan Jude


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