First time FOSDEM attendee, developer room manager. Two suggestions: I would encourage a voluntary name tag system. I saw some people doing that, and I really craved broader usage. It's really nice to be able to quickly scan some ones name and project information and perhaps make a connection you wouldn't otherwise make. I think trying to centralize registration and hand out name tags like at other conferences would be a huge PITA. But I would have been cheerful to hand make a name tag ahead of time. Perhaps I missed the encouragement to do so, but I would suggest encouraging that explicitly under the 'registration' section. Second, the address published on the web site does not work properly in Google maps. If you simply cut + paste the venue information, you get poor results. I had lunch with a gentleman who took the metro to the Erasme stop and lost several hours figuring out how to get to FOSDEM. If I look here: http://www.ulb.ac.be/campus/solbosch/solbosch.html (or on the English equivalent), the postal code is prefixed with a B- (so B-1050). Perhaps that's the problem; perhaps Google needs to be corrected. I thought I'd mention it regardless. With that said, I know how hard it is to always get complaints; studies show that one complaint can overshadow 10 or 15 compliments. I would be very sad if my email left an organizer with a net negative emotional boost. FOSDEM is amazing; it is an impressive and open and cheerful event. The originators and current organizers are truly amazing people who bring a marvel to the world each year. I would really appreciate it if you could construe that as at least 100 compliments <grin>. Cheers, Jeremy
On Tue, Feb 5, 2013 at 6:42 PM, Jeremy White <jwhite@codeweavers.com> wrote:
First time FOSDEM attendee, developer room manager.
Two suggestions: I would encourage a voluntary name tag system. I saw some people doing that, and I really craved broader usage. It's really nice to be able to quickly scan some ones name and project information and perhaps make a connection you wouldn't otherwise make. I think trying to centralize registration and hand out name tags like at other conferences would be a huge PITA. But I would have been cheerful to hand make a name tag ahead of time. Perhaps I missed the encouragement to do so, but I would suggest encouraging that explicitly under the 'registration' section.
I proposed to take care of it at previous FOSDEM editions, but organisers refused. -- Benjamin Henrion <bhenrion at ffii.org> FFII Brussels - +32-484-566109 - +32-2-3500762 "In July 2005, after several failed attempts to legalise software patents in Europe, the patent establishment changed its strategy. Instead of explicitly seeking to sanction the patentability of software, they are now seeking to create a central European patent court, which would establish and enforce patentability rules in their favor, without any possibility of correction by competing courts or democratically elected legislators."
On Tue, Feb 5, 2013 at 6:42 PM, Jeremy White <jwhite@codeweavers.com> wrote:
Second, the address published on the web site does not work properly in Google maps. If you simply cut + paste the venue information, you get poor results. I had lunch with a gentleman who took the metro to the Erasme stop and lost several hours figuring out how to get to FOSDEM. If I look here: http://www.ulb.ac.be/campus/solbosch/solbosch.html (or on the English equivalent), the postal code is prefixed with a B- (so B-1050). Perhaps that's the problem; perhaps Google needs to be corrected. I thought I'd mention it regardless.
I dont know what happened, because is not my first year, but i got lost as well. Actually, I met people looking for fosdem at erasmu station on saturday. On sunday I overheard a few guys saying they got lost as well. I brought the point saved from home and I recall entering the coordinates directly in google maps. When I rechecked the coordinates on saturday on fosdem it gave me the right campus... Maybe i didnt entered the coordinates the time that I _actually_ saved the point... or maybe we are just the 1% who always get lost. With so many people, there always have to be a bunch ;) Who knows... at least i wasnt the only one x) To add some extra feedback, is worth pointing out in the transportation page that tram 25 does not go up to fosdem on sunday... But you can still take it (to go back as well) walking a few blocks :) a map of fosdem in the android app would be cool as well PS: I should had suspect something fishy was going on when google gave me directions... If the Metro actually had an station on fosdem why did I took it any other year...
alberto fuentes <pajaro@gmail.com> wrote:
On Tue, Feb 5, 2013 at 6:42 PM, Jeremy White <jwhite@codeweavers.com> wrote:
Second, the address published on the web site does not work properly in Google maps. If you simply cut + paste the venue information, you get poor results. I had lunch with a gentleman who took the metro to the Erasme stop and lost several hours figuring out how to get to FOSDEM. If I look here: http://www.ulb.ac.be/campus/solbosch/solbosch.html (or on the English equivalent), the postal code is prefixed with a B- (so B-1050). Perhaps that's the problem; perhaps Google needs to be corrected. I thought I'd mention it regardless.
I dont know what happened, because is not my first year, but i got lost as well.
Actually, I met people looking for fosdem at erasmu station on saturday. On sunday I overheard a few guys saying they got lost as well.
I brought the point saved from home and I recall entering the coordinates directly in google maps. When I rechecked the coordinates on saturday on fosdem it gave me the right campus...
Maybe i didnt entered the coordinates the time that I _actually_ saved the point... or maybe we are just the 1% who always get lost. With so many people, there always have to be a bunch ;) Who knows... at least i wasnt the only one x)
To add some extra feedback, is worth pointing out in the transportation page that tram 25 does not go up to fosdem on sunday... But you can still take it (to go back as well) walking a few blocks :)
a map of fosdem in the android app would be cool as well
PS: I should had suspect something fishy was going on when google gave me directions... If the Metro actually had an station on fosdem why did I took it any other year... _______________________________________________ FOSDEM mailing list FOSDEM@lists.fosdem.org https://lists.fosdem.org/listinfo/fosdem
I also almost fell for the Erasmus trick on Sunday morning. -- Sent from my Replicant phone with K-9 Mail.
On 02/05/2013 06:42 PM, Jeremy White wrote: FOSDEM is amazing; it is an impressive and open and cheerful event. +100 :-) //Erik -- Erik Josefsson Advisor on Internet Policies Greens/EFA Group <http://www.greens-efa.eu/36-details/josefsson-erik-138.html> GSM: +32484082063 BXL: PHS 04C075 TEL: +3222832667 SBG: WIC M03005 TEL: +33388173776
On 5 Feb 2013, at 18:42, Jeremy White <jwhite@codeweavers.com> wrote:
Second, the address published on the web site does not work properly in Google maps. If you simply cut + paste the venue information, you get poor results.
It's not because they sponsor our conference that you should trust the directions they give you. :) We'll make a note to improve the travel instructions for next year. - Philip -- Philip Paeps Senior Reality Engineer Ministry of Information
On Tue, Feb 05, 2013 at 11:42:12AM -0600, Jeremy White wrote:
Second, the address published on the web site does not work properly in Google maps. If you simply cut + paste the venue information, you get poor results. I had lunch with a gentleman who took the metro to the Erasme stop and lost several hours figuring out how to get to FOSDEM.
Thanks for pointing that out! Our direct link to Google maps is correct AFAIK. Google maps has the marker for ULB at that address in the wrong place on the map. I've followed their 'move marker' option, but whether that'll have any effect I don't know. If not, perhaps there's even a Google employee reading this list who can escalate the problem and get it fixed? We can add a suitable warning to the transportation page on our web site next year and incorporate other suggestions raised here too.
(or on the English equivalent), the postal code is prefixed with a B- (so B-1050). Perhaps that's the problem; perhaps Google needs to be
The B is just an abbreviation for Belgium used when posting letters from abroad: it's just extra redundancy (which we can indeed add) when the address already says 'Belgium'. Alasdair
participants (7)
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Alasdair G Kergon -
alberto fuentes -
Benjamin Henrion -
Jeremy White -
John Sullivan -
JOSEFSSON Erik -
Philip Paeps