What's a Usenix Conference like?

[Michael O'Dell]

At the risk of being biased, I'll take a quick shot at this.

It's a gathering of the clan, the True Believers, the dispassionate,
and often the Heretics; it's the village party; it's a place
for serious chats and frank discussions (spirited arguments?)
on complex technical matters, and it's lots of fun!

Attire at USENIX can range anywhere from suits to shorts
(it's WARM in Anaheim, and since I don't do sweat, so you can
guess which end I'll be on!).  Some people are actually
more comfortable a bit more dressed-up, but they are in the
minority.  One thing for which you might want to bring a
jacket, however, is that if you intend to visit any high-end
restraunts, they often frown on unimproved jeans, etc. But it IS
California, so full-dress white-tie eveningwear is generally
unneeded.  You will find the crowd decidedly eclectic,
but aggressively casual is certainly the norm.

We'd like for you to find the group friendly and helpful
on lots of levels.  Be aware that there are several functions
organized specifically to help the newcomer find all the relavent
knobs and get comfortable with things (consult your program
for details.) They probably aren't perfect,
but they seem to help - let us know how to improve them!
I dunno whether we'll be wearing the "Ask Me" buttons again,
but it's a good bet that anyone with a Blue Ribbon on their badge
(particularly those which say Board Member or Staff or some such)
is a good person to ask just about anything having to do with the meeting.
If they don't know, they will either point you at someone who does,
or they can lie convincingly enough that you think they know
(just KIDDING!). Honestly, there are lots of friendly people around who want
you to feel welcome and part of the community, so avail yourself of them.

So, in short, I hope you find a Usenix meeting to be a place to
"see the faces behind the user names", to eat like there's no
tomorrow at the reception, "BOF 'til you drop," and to find a bunch
of new friends and colleagues.

Hope to see you in Anaheim!

	-Mike O'Dell

PS - Oh yes, nomenclature: BOF is a "Birds-Of-a-Feather" meeting.
An informal get together on almost any imaginable topic, organized
by some industrious person and held in rooms at the meeting site.
We take no credit or blame for them, we just provide a room and
stand back - WAY BACK!