When will D1 be finished?

[Georg Wrede]

Andrei Alexandrescu wrote:
> BCS wrote:
>> Hello Brad,
>>>
>>> Two or whatever years ago, I was _lucky_ to get enough speakers to
>>> justify having the conference.  I see no reason to expect that there
>>> will suddenly be a wealth of them such that proposed talks could be
>>> rejected.  That'd be a wonderful place to be.
>>>
>>
>> Tell someone they might not be good enough and sometime they will be 
>> even more willing to try.
>>
>>> Given the cost of attendance (airfare, lodging, etc), I'm reluctant to
>>> put additional barriers in place.  But I wouldn't say no to the idea.
>>> I'll point out that last year some of the speakers who couldn't have
>>> otherwise attended were assisted flown in.  What you're really saying
>>> is that there needs to be a budget.  That doesn't imply cost to
>>> attend, though it would certainly help.
>>>
>>
>> If $20 keeps someone out, they aren't that interested in the first place
> 
> Yes. No doubt the first conference was an unqualified success (thanks, 
> Brad!) but this time around the novelty factor has worn off. It's not 
> the first step on the moon, it's going again on the moon.

Yes, and this time around, we should *really* try to get an audience 
that represents the industry. While M$ might not attend, Google, Nokia, 
Apple, game developers, and others might be good targets.

> We must have quality to offer. And at the risk of annoying BCS and 
> others, let me point out that I don't think this is the best way to go 
> (although it does work and God knows I've done it): "I might (note I 
> said might, I'm not committing to anything... yet) be able to put 
> together a talk on something."
> 
> The way it ideally goes is not starting from giving a talk on 
> "something"  and then figuring out the "something". Ideally /you have 
> something specific to say/ in the first place, and completing a 
> submission is a matter of chipping the extra marble away.

We should recognize such individuals, and offer them even help in 
writing their presentations. The main thing is, how important these are 
for D, the advancement of a perception of D as a Best Language, and the 
merits of such individuals' accomplishments.

> About money: if the conference is free the perception is that you get 
> what you paid for. Remember how many people said "yeah, I might make it" 
> and then didn't show? I think people should get a lot this time around, 
> and that the organizers and participants should make a mutual commitment 
> by putting a monetary value on it.

Prepaid attendance is a must. To achieve that, we have to offer big 
discounts for early (paid) registrations. That money can also be 
conveniently used for setting up the conference.

A dedicated set of web pages, (or even a web site, or sub-site) has to 
be set up, designed and carefully written, or we won't get squat.

A call for papers has to be attractive enough to not only attract 
potential presenters, but also to attract their employers so that these 
individuals get the resources (time off, funding, and guarantees of 
transport and lodging costs, should they not be chosen for presenting) 
necessary to make a serious attempt at a qualifiable entry.