Jose M Calhariz dijo [Sat, Feb 21, 2026 at 07:18:49PM +0000]:
> So besides this competition in time with main DebConf we have
> competition between several European DebConfs which might make another
> MiniDebConf in Europe questionable.
I am sure there can be a covenient time for a MiniDebConf in Portugal that
_does not_ clash with either our global conference (as we _want_ Europeans
to attend DebConf whether it is in South America, Asia, Africa or wherever
else, not to see the alternative offering as an opportunity to anyway meet
most of their homocontinental Debian friends) or other regional Debian
gatherings. Yes, it would be unfortunate if a Lisbon MiniDebConf were to
coincide with those that I'm quoting or others in the same regional scope;
I would not oppose a Lisbon MiniDebConf to be concurrent with another one
⪭ 5000Km away.
But for the one opportunity we have to gather Debian people from all over
the world... Please, do not make it be fragmented.
Our intention is not to compete with the Main DebConf but to
complement it. To have rooms with video display to show the main
talks in Argentina in real time and ways for the people in Lisbon to
participate on the talk.
Much of the people that is not willing to go to Argentina will not go
anyway to Portugal.
I think there is a sizable amount of people who would take the opportunity
to travel by train within continental Europe instead of flying to South
America if they were to meet, a couple dozen of their Debian friends. Those
of us travelling to Argentina would not see them.
As you are perfectly aware, DebConf is only partially about the talks. We
build community by sharing memories about the omnipresent rice and beans in
Brazil, on the good and bad details of a given daytrip, on playing silly
games, on how to combat the fascist temperature of air conditioning in the
dorms, etc. DebConf is a _presential_ gathering, and anything added to it
to make non-presential participation better is... well, that: a patch.
(note: yes, I _will_ push for being more inclusive towards participation of
people who cannot travel to the venue. However, what I said, holds: DebConf
happens 24×7, and _an important part_ of it is the talks schedule)
We do not have a big team to organise a big MiniDebConf to compete
with Argentina in size. We need much more volunteers for the local
team even to organise this MiniDebConf.
In my opinion in the end is better for all Debian if we can gather all
the people in place during DebConf being in Argentina, Portugal or
other remote places from Argentina. We are a global organisation, why
we can not have a global event spread around the world?
Because we have a committed team in Argentina working to get the best
possible conditions to receive hundreds of people from around the globe,
and I find it a disservice to them, bordering on rudeness, to say “we can
organize something local and join your party without even trying to go to
what you are offering”.
Maybe some year in the future we can organize a fully distributed DebConf,
with several simultaneous venues, lessening cost and global travel. But it
is not what our local team signed up for. I would be very sad if this came
to happen.
I know you mean well; I know you for many years, and I know you have
sweated to come up with an offering to receive the Debian people in
Portugal. And I really want to go there! But please try to understand how
this feels for the receiving end.
