FW: [Desktop_architects] Foundations of Open Media Software DeveloperMeeting

[Bastian, Waldo]

>> The first "Foundations of Open Media Software" Developer Meeting will
be
>> held on the Friday and Saturday before linux.conf.au 2007, one of the
>> world's most respected Linux and Open Source developer conferences.
>>
>> The FOMS meeting is organised by developers for developers, and aims
to
>> get the right people together to take the next steps in open media
>software.
>> Meet and discuss your plans for the next 12 months with other
developers
>> and forge relationships to unwind the kinks, making open media kick
ever
>> more arse.
>
>Uhm, they seem to have no agenda whatsoever and the deadline is in a
>week.  It's kind of hard to make a case for getting a group of people
>together a long way from everywhere with no better explanation than "to
>get the right people together to take the next steps".

Agenda-wise, from an OSDL perspective I am interested in developments
around multimedia infrastructure usable by independent software vendors
(which translates to standardized and available across distro's and
desktops) as well as ways to bridge in practical terms and in a globally
legal way the seemingly large ideological gap between free software and
support for patented media-formats. 

I would also like to forward this mail from Jeff, that explains his
ideas for the meeting. 

Cheers,
Waldo

[foms] Desktop Architects meeting format
Jeff Waugh jdub at perkypants.org
Tue Sep 12 01:22:58 UTC 2006

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Hey,

So I'd like to suggest that on at least one of the days, we use the
Desktop
Architects meeting format, which was used to great success at the first
DAM
in Portland, for a meeting of about 70 people. It really sucked out the
big
issues, and made them useful for further discussion. I used the same
format
for the GNOME Mobile and Embedded meeting at GUADEC which worked very
well.

 1. Position Statements

We start with position statements and a 'getting to know you' section at
the
beginning of the meeting. This introduces everyone and gets the group on
the
same page. Regular breaks are recommended, as it's not wildly
interactive if
you have a lot of organisations/projects presenting. The position
statements
are done with a standardised four slide deck, respectively:

 * Focus and activity - describe the areas that your organisation is
   focusing and working on. This will put your goals and contributions
in
   context for other participants.

 * Problem areas - describe problems that your organisation has
encountered,
   things that are not working or not available. These items will
contribute
   to a gap analysis and areas for further discussion.

 * Dependencies - describe the organisations, projects and components
that
   your organisation depends on. This helps everyone understand the map
of
   the community.

 * Next steps - suggest concrete goals and objectives that you wish to
see
   followed.

It's likely that there will be more organisations than presentation
time, so
some miss out - thus, decks should be contributed ahead of the event so
we
can print and/or distribute them.

 2. Gap analysis

Blank cards are passed around the room. Everyone writes down the #1
problem
they perceive with uptake/success of FLOSS multimedia. We combine these
with
the obvious 'problem areas' gleaned from the position statements (as a
kind
of bonus vote in their favour). The cards are passed to the front, and
the
group sort them into specific issues and classification areas together.

 3. Vote

This need not be formal, but the participants should 'vote' on which
issues
are to be discussed. There are two important vectors: a) importance of
the
issue, and b) how easily we can fix it. Thus, we get issues we can move
on
straight away and a concept of (ideally each issue's) overall
importance.

 4. Discuss

The meeting splits into discussion groups to tackle the important issues
and
return to the group with reports of the discussion and strategic plan.


(Sorry, rushed through last three points to get it on the list during
our
meeting - happy to answer any questions about it if it's unclear.)

Thanks,

- Jeff

-- 
linux.conf.au 2007: Sydney, Australia
http://lca2007.linux.org.au/
 
     "If I can't be near you I would rather be adrift in space." - Neil
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