From: utzoo!utcsstat!bob Newsgroups: net.usenix Title: Usenix Meetings Article-I.D.: utcsstat.150 Posted: Mon May 31 13:57:44 1982 Received: Mon May 31 17:43:02 1982 USENIX MEETINGS I too went to the Usenix meeting at Santa Monica and I agree with genradbo!rob (sorry I don't know your name) that there were some bad sessions and that most were one-way. I also understand that there were sessions cut because there wasn't enough time. 15 minutes is barely enough time to present material let alone have a meaning full Q&A. I just finished a year of planning for a DECUS Symposium. We only had around 500 people but had multiple streams. The last Usenix had around 1000 people and one stream. I really feel that this one stream approach is extremely limiting. Usenix is going to keep growing. It will become harder and harder to find places, good places, to hold the conferences. The Austin conference had a good theater in which to hold the conference. In Santa Monica if you were more that half way back it became very difficult to see the screen. The roof was to low to raise the to screen higher. Surely it is possible to develop multiple streams. This would make the number of people attending various sessions more manage- able. It would also make for longer sessions, say 30-45 minutes, during which questions could be asked while the information is fresh. There could be Q&A sessions on 4.1bsd, 2.8bsd etc. At Decus we ran 45 minute sessions in the morning that could be grouped into one 1.5 hour session and in the afternoon we ran 1 hour sessions that could be grouped into a 2 hour session. I would be interested in hearing how YOU feel about this matter. Are you pleased with the single stream system? What about planners for Boston, Toronto and San Diago have you con- sidered this and what are your feelings? What about people who have given presentations? Bob Lawson U of Toronto Computing Services ...decvax!utzoo!utcsrgv!utcstvax!bob or ...decvax!utzoo!utcsrgv!utcsstat!bob