Re: LISA...how good

[Gene Rackow <mcs.anl.gov">rackow]

LISA is one of the best conferences around if you are doing systems-admin work.

I'm surprised this hasn't been said already, but...

As with any conference though you get out of it what you put into it.

A friend of mine attended a couple years ago, and came back with quite a bit,
but could not see attending another one.  He did not think it was as good
as he expected the conference to be.  The problem was that he didn't like
to talk to people, was shy in groups, and ONLY attended the conference
proper.  He did not mingle with people at the morning coffee, go with the
groups to lunch, go to the BoF's, or be one of the multiple bar gatherings
that occur.   He had his family with him, as they were merging the trip with
vacation. 

For myself, I tend to think that while at the conference I am going to live on
only a couple of hours sleep a night.  Take plenty of notes as to who to
contact about various things you are working on, etc.  Take plenty of
medication for soar throat, and not be able to talk when I come back.  If
I was going to bring the family with, I would only be with them for the
week-end before and after, not during.  This is not to say that you can't
do it, but if your goal is to get as much from the conference as possible,
spend the time with the other people attending, sight-see at other times.

I do not go to the conference to listen to the most of the paper presentations.
I can get most of that from the proceedings.  I do attend the ones that are
of direct interest, but will skip many of the others.  Look towards the
alternative tracks, or the gatherings in the lobby/hall/bar/pool/???.

--Gene