I agree that it might be nice to have the Squeak BOF at a different time this year, so it doesn't conflict with the Cincom/Gemstone event (and other BOFs which tend to be held on that most popular third evening of OOPSLA). This would allow more people to attend the Squeak BOF, besides just the die-hards.
My personal preference at this point is for Friday morning, 10:00 to 12:00.
I'm not sure about having it too late or early during the conference, though, a lot of people might not be there on Friday.
I'd suggest having it sometime during the middle three days of the conference. Tuesday evening at 7:30pm would be my first choice... it's close to the middle of the week, and there doesn't seem to be much else going on then:
http://oopsla.acm.org/ap/files/day-5.html
Thursday evening could be another option, or possibly sometime during the day, but that might be tricky to fit into everyone's schedule.
- Doug Way
Martin McClure wrote:
As I prepare once again for OOPSLA (if you haven't yet registered, last day for the early-bird discount is the 26th) I've started thinking about the Squeak BOF, always one of the highlights of OOPSLA.
Over the past few years it seems like it's gotten harder to find a good time for the Squeak BOF, so I'm hoping to start discussion early enough that we can find a time that most folks can be there without missing something else near and dear to their interests.
The "traditional" time for the Squeak BOF is on Tuesday evening, which is on a Wednesday this year. (okay, not quite, but close. Most OOPSLAs of recent years run Sunday through Thursday. This one runs Monday through Friday, so everything is pushed back a day.) The past couple of years there has been some competition for that evening, since Cincom has scheduled a reception and presentation on that evening as well.
This year, Cincom and GemStone are hosting an event from 7-9pm Wednesday at the Sheraton. I'm hoping that the Squeak BOF isn't at the same time, because I want to go to both.
Looking over the schedule (available at oopsla.acm.org) the only times that don't conflict with *something* are in the middle of the night. There's even an invited talk scheduled Wednesday evening opposite the Cincom/GemStone bash.
My opinion at this point is that we might want to have the BOF during the day, conflicting with papers, panels, and such. Others may have different opinions, which is why I'm starting this discussion.
My personal preference at this point is for Friday morning, 10:00 to 12:00.
-Martin