D Developers Conference

[Walter Bright]

Georg Wrede wrote:
> If the organisers were smart, they'd announce no podcasting. Such 
> announcements only tend to reduce the number of participants. ("Hey, why 
> would I pay too much for the trip when I can view the stuff on my screen 
> the next day?" Not all, but some (especially the economically pressed, 
> like students, smallest entrepreneurs, married folks, etc.) would choose 
> to stay home. Bad for business. The possible podcasts would then appear 
> as nice surprises to those who really couldn't come. (Besides, no use 
> committing to something one can't guarantee to deliver.)

My experience with conferences is that the true value is not in the 
presentations, it's the face-to-face discussions. That'll never be 
achieved with email, podcasts, or even video conferencing. The 
presentations just act as a seed for those other discussions.

> OTOH, the "Post your questions, we'll ask the speaker!" idea is just 
> excellent!!

I like that, too.