Re: [LSFMMBPF 2021] A status update

[Hannes Reinecke <hare@suse.de>]

On 12/15/20 1:23 PM, Michal Hocko wrote:
> On Sat 12-12-20 17:29:57, Matthew Wilcox wrote:
>> On Fri, Dec 04, 2020 at 10:48:53AM -0500, Josef Bacik wrote:
>>> We on the program committee hope everybody has been able to stay safe and
>>> healthy during this challenging time, and look forward to being able to see
>>> all of you in person again when it is safe.
>>>
>>> The current plans for LSFMMBPF 2021 are to schedule an in person conference
>>> in H2 (after June) of 2021.  The tentative plan is to use the same hotel
>>> that we had planned to use for 2020, as we still have contracts with them.
>>> However clearly that is not set in stone.  The Linux Foundation has done a
>>> wonderful job of working with us to formulate a plan and figure out the
>>> logistics that will work the best for everybody, I really can't thank them
>>> enough for their help.
>>
>> Thank you all for doing your best in the face of this disruption.  I
>> really appreciate all the work you're putting in, and I can't wait to
>> see you all again in person.
>>
>> I hosted a Zoom call yesterday on the topic of Page Folios, and uploaded
>> the video.
> 
> Thanks for organizing this. I couldn't attent directly but I have
> watched the video. I think this was a useful meeting.
> 
>> There was interest expressed in the call on doing a follow-up
>> call on the topic of GUP (get_user_pages and friends).  It would probably
>> also be good to have meetings on other topics.
> 
> I hope I will have time to join this one.
> 
>> I don't want this to be seen in any way as taking away from LSFMMBPF.
>> I see Zoom calls as an interim solution to not having face-to-face
>> meetings.
> 
> Agreed!
> 
>> I'd like to solicit feedback from this group on:
>>
>>   - Time of day.  There is no good time that suits everyone around
>>     the world.  With developers in basically every inhabited time zone, the
>>     call will definitely take place in the middle of somebody's night, and
>>     during somebody else's normal family time.  Publishing the recordings
>>     helps ameliorate some of this, but I feel we should shift the time
>>     around.  Having it at the same time of day helps people fit it into
>>     their schedule of other meetings (and meals), but I think the benefits
>>     of allowing more people to participate live outweighs the costs.
> 
> Hard question without any good answer. You can rotate preferred timezone
> which should spread the suffering.
> 
What I found useful is to have a fixed schedule for the actual talk, but 
keep the recording online for an extended time (say 24h). And require 
the presenters to be available in a break-out room for any questions for 
an extended time, too.
That way any participant can choose which time would suit him best to 
watch the presentation, _and_ being reasonably sure that he can fire up 
questions later on.

>>   - Schedule.  Friday's probably a bad day to have it, as it ends up
>>     being Saturday for some people.  It can move around the week too.
>>     Also, probably wise to not have it over Christmas as most developers
>>     have that period as family time.
> 
> Yes, Friday tends to be not great. I think mid week should work better
> as the overalap
> 
>>   - Topics.  I'm sure there's no shortage of things to discuss!  I'm
>>     happy to organise meetings for people even on topics I have no direct
>>     interest in.
> 
> Thanks for organizing this. I am pretty sure poeple will land on topics
> either in the call or over email.
> 
>> And most urgently, when should we have the GUP meeting? On the call,
>> I suggested Friday the 8th of January, but I'm happy to set something
>> up for next week if we'd like to talk more urgently.
> 
> I am unlikely to be able to join before the end of year so if you ask
> me.
> 
> Thanks again and fingers crossed we can actually have a face to face
> meeting sometimes during next year.
> 
I'd side with Michal here; having something this year will be 
challenging, as quite some ppl (myself included) will be on holiday.
Rather move it to start of next year; mid-February would be a good time, 
giving enough room to organize etc.

Cheers,

Hannes
-- 
Dr. Hannes Reinecke                Kernel Storage Architect
hare@suse.de                              +49 911 74053 688
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