HKlemt wrote:

> --- In Firebird-general@yahoogroups.com, Dimitry Sibiryakov <sd@...> wrote:
>
>> Could you also show count of visitors on FB Conferences, year-by-year?
>
> in 2007 we had about 120, the years before there were less. For 2008 in have no numbers because i was not involved
>
>> Sure, typical Firebird developers won't attend conference where no
>> Firebird-related sessions are held. It is exactly what I'm talking
>> about: we must invade wherever possible.
>
> a lot of our typical customers are simply interested in their business tools and these are typically delphi/c++/c# and Firebird. they have no reason to evaluate other database engines and other programming languages, so in their mind about 80 % of typical topics in such a conference is useless for them. A general software conference like froscon can often not handle in depth sessions for specialists, this i why for example postgresql had their own subconference on froscon, 1 room, two days of sessions. If you like to organize a similar event for next froscon, no problem, i will help you whereever i can. For this year my question was too late, organizers reported no more free rooms for a firebird subconference.

Personally I view the Firebird Conference as much as a social event
where like minded people can get together face to face after years of
electronic contact. And if that is best achieved by a gathering only
every other year then that makes sense. I've too much of a backlog to
attend anything this year anyway :(

Recruiting new converts *IS* a very good reason for attendance at
alternative events, but I would not like to see it become a replacement
for our own event? Even Postgresql have their own conferences as well.

The main problem is - as Holger has pointed out - many of us need to pay
the bills, so any activity has to be justified financially. My own cash
flow has prevented me from too much unpaid activity, but I do feel that
it is about time we tried a few smaller events. Like the Postgresql
PgDays. And I'd be interested in trying to plan something in the UK for
next year. Linked with another more general event might make that more
practical?

--
Lester Caine - G8HFL
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