Suggestion on USENIX scheduling

[King Ables]

For what it's worth, one thing you have to keep in mind is
Usenix (with a few exceptions) is a BUSINESS conference...
i.e. people go there to learn and converse with piers to
help them in their work (mostly) and therefore the trips are
paid for by the employers.  These people would like weekends
off since this is pretty much like a week of work (ok, ok, not
exactly like it ;-)  ;-)  ).  Sure there are students who go,
but the conference isn't made expressly for the students.  If
they can get away to attend, that's great.  I didn't go when I
was a student because I couldn't afford to take the time, either,
so I do understand that.

Usenix is comparable to what DECUS is for the DEC world.  It's
a professional conference.  Professional conferences are held
during the week.  Recreational conferences are usually held over
a weekend (because people can't usually take off from their jobs
for a Sci-Fi convention!).

Perhaps a nice compromise would be if Usenix is expanded, expand
it over a Saturday and put the more student-oriented things during
that day.  Then people on a tight time/money budget could come
in for one or two days and return on Sunday and not miss much
of anything in their real lives.  And anyone who was REALLY interested
in something on a Saturday could stay (I very often stay until
sometime on Saturday just because I don't want to fight the mad
exudous on Friday nights!).

The real problem Usenix has these days is the attendance is so
large (and the Usenix Association likes to keep things in the
same hotel if possible, or at least in two-- not spread all over
town) that there are a limited number of cities that can even handle
a Usenix conference and those places are in high demand so reservations
have to be made YEARS in advance.  You don't think they came back to
Dallas this year (after having just been there in 1985) because they
just love Dallas, do you?

-king
ARPA: ables at mcc.com
UUCP: {gatech,ihnp4,nbires,seismo,ucb-vax}!ut-sally!im4u!milano!ables

Don't give me sh*t about Dallas... I *like* Dallas... I used to live
in Ft. Worth.  I was born in Texas... I just think there are nicer
places to have a conference, that's all.