[EuroPython] Commissioning talks

[M.-A. Lemburg]

Laura Creighton wrote:
> 
> >Marc-Andre Lemburg:
> > Laura Creighton wrote:
> > >
> > > Do we want to call it the 'Python in Government and Business' Track then?
> >
> > No.
> >
> > The government money issue is really part of the options you have
> > for raising money for a project, start-up or event. It fits
> > in nicely as talk, but shouldn't dominate it.
> 
> I was thinking more along the line of 'You are a government.  You need
> a python open source solution'.  They do for the same reason businesses
> do, but lots of people in government do not see much of a connection
> between what they do and what businesses do.  If you title your track
> that way, Government people know to attend this one.

The problem is that we could then just as well add churches, 
charities and other non-profits, etc. to the track title.

I would rather like to keep it generic in a certain sense that
separates it from the other tracks. The track's list of talks
and subtitle will then provide the information you are asking
for.
 
> [Marc-Andre doesn't know about any German law requring the government to
>  use open source solutions]
> 
> Hmm. I am remembering 'in health care' or some such.

Could be; don't know. I do know that open source software, esp.
Linux is used quite a bit in government agencies, but there's no
general agreement on its usefulness, AFAIK.

Most of their software still runs in classical mainframe
based client/server or even direct 3270 mode.

> > I don't think we can commission talks (I only know these under
> > the name "invited talks" or "key notes"), simple because we can't
> > offer anything much in return.
> 
> (Then you commission them from people that were going anyway, and
> promise them nothing but the soapbox to stand on.)

Ok :-) ... then I would like you to talk about strategies of 
convincing government agencies and commissions (like the EU 
commission) about the positive effects of building IT strategies 
on top of open source platforms, Python in particular, of course.

How many more talks can I commission to AB Strakt ?

Here are some more ideas (provided there are any candidates out
there who have experience in these areas):

* Experience with Python in business projects

  - switching from (you name it) to Python: benefits, problems,...
  - training effort needed to get C++/Java programmers up and running
    in Python
  - prototyping in Python and then going to production with it:
    reduced costs, rewriting hot-spots in C, ...
  - planning a Python based project:
    comparing the required man power to a C++ or Java project,
    project phases, roll out, ...

* Mentioning Python in front of customers / investors

  - pros/cons of doing so, providing good answers to common questions
  - handling FUD: what's Python ? where do I find programmers ?
  - modern programming: "we run this project mainly using the C++/Java
    interpreter pattern"
  - investement security: how hard would it be to have XYZ maintain
    the software ? what if I want feature ABC added in two years ?
  - enterprise integration: which interfaces are available ? how
    relyable are they ?
  - legalese: who can I sue if something goes wrong ?

* Python on the job

  - selecting the right tools: which IDE, platform, GUI ? 
  - designing a Python application: where to start, which method
    to use, ...
  - dependencies on third-party libs: do licenses pose a problem 
    for commercial products ?
  - managing the code base: classes, modules and packages

More to come...

-- 
Marc-Andre Lemburg
CEO eGenix.com Software GmbH
______________________________________________________________________
Company & Consulting:                           http://www.egenix.com/
Python Software:                   http://www.egenix.com/files/python/