DebConf10/NewYork

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Note: This page is our bid document. Now that we have been selected, go to DebConf10 for further information and future edits. This page is kept around for references purposes for this and future years.

Questions from the location checklist are in italics, and are mostly in the order from the checklist except for the ones dealing with the relationship with foreigners.

Contents

[edit] Local Team

  • Please name the main local team and describe their commitment (i.e. connection, work they have done before, how long...) in organizing events and working in Free Software projects. Are they perhaps even known inside Debian?
  • Of these people, which have been present at a previous Debconfs and who have participated as organizers and/or volunteers (the line might be quite blurry at times) of a previous Debconf?

[edit] Active

  • Richard Darst - Columbia University grad student (chemical physics). Longtime Debian user, lurker, new volunteer, led many other things.
    • Venue contact, lead organizer
    • MrBeige @ oftc
  • Brian Gupta - Debian user/sysadmin. Member of various NY based user groups. Member NYLUG, NYCBUG, LispNYC, NYCRuby and NY OpenSolaris UG. Cofounder NY OpenSolaris UG. Currently running a sysadmin group that largly caters clients that use Debian based distros. FSF contributing member.
    • bgupta @ oftc
  • Clint Adams - Debian Developer, attended many DebConfs
    • Clint @ oftc
  • Eric Dantan Rzewnicki - DebConf Video guru, Freelance Sysadmin and Developer, longtime Washington DC area LUG attendee and past DCLUG host, member of Debian Multimedia packaging team.
    • edrz @ oftc
  • Hans-Christoph Steiner - Debian Developer, Sys admin
    • _hc @ oftc
  • Pablo Duboue - Debian user/sysadmin, Columbia University alum
    • DrDub @ oftc
  • Jimmy Kaplowitz -- Debian Developer, attended many debconfs, organized the bid
    • Hydroxide @ oftc
  • Daniel Kahn Gillmor - Debian Developer
    • dkg @ oftc
  • Gabriella Coleman - Anthropologist, attended many Debconfs
    • biella @ oftc
  • Micah Anderson - Debian Developer, attended many Debconfs
    • micah @ oftc
  • Simon Fondrie-Teitler Debian user
    • simonft @ oftc
  • Jameson "jamie" Rollins - Debian package-maintainer/user/sys-admin, Physics grad student at Columbia
    • jrollins @ oftc
  • Jeremy Baron - Debian User
    • jeremyb @ oftc
  • Kevin Mark - Free Software advocate, user
    • kevix @ oftc
  • Jonah Bossewitch- Free Software developer, Columbia employee/student
  • Greg Lyle - Debian Sys admin

[edit] Venue Support

  • Chair of the Computer Science Department is allowing us to use his name to reserve places on campus, as well as providing suggestions for our weak areas.
  • Dean of the Engineering School is aware of our plans and supportive.
  • Second-from-the-top technical manager of Columbia University IT.
  • Eben Moglen, from Software Freedom Law Center, is in the Columbia Law School and will help us reserve locations on campus at the law school and elsewhere.
  • Chemistry Department Cluster Manager.
  • The general manager of Hostelling International NY is excited to have our international group.
  • The Columbia student ACM (Association for Computing Machinery) chapter is providing us with suggestions, and can provide us with volunteer support next summer.
  • Many more contacts can be found once the location is decided.

[edit] Reserves

  • Many people from the NYC Debian community, based off of the debian-nyc mailing list, are willing to help us.
  • David Moreno - Debian developer, attended several DebConfs
  • Hans-Christoph Steiner - Veteran camp/conf organizer, Debian user since 1998
  • Mike O'Connor - New Debian developer, runs Debian-NYC mailing list
  • Michael Schultheiss - Debian developer since 2002, attended many DebConfs, member of DebConf8 sponsorship team
  • Benjamin Mako Hill - DD, attended many DebConfs (based in Boston but formerly from NYC and willing to help)
  • Manoj Srivastava - Been going to conferences since 1982 -- first orga experience 1984.
  • Sunny Dubey - Local FLOSS advocate (keep those teeth clean!!). Poly Alumni. Former NYLUG exec.
  • See list of local user groups below.

[edit] New York City!

NYC Montage Small.jpg

  • Are you suggesting a city, a town, a village, a spa in the middle of nowhere?

NYC is a major world city. We would be holding the conference directly in the city, specifically in Manhattan according to current plans.

  • How many people live there?

Over 8 million residents. More people live in New York City than 58% of the nations on the planet. The metro area has a greater population than 74% of nations.

  • How easy/convenient is the proposed place to get all strange and regular kinds of hardware?
    • Electronic/electricity shops

There are shops such as Radio Shack in Morningside Heights (Broadway and 108th), and many more throughout the city, including a large number of grey-market ones just west of Times Square which are good for knowledgeable people to get good prices. For photography enthusiasts, the famous B&H Photo/Video is located in NYC.

    • Computer stores (A "media market" like enduser oriented store doesn't count)

There is an Upper West Side Best Buy at 62nd street. There is also DataVision at 5th Ave and 39th, which is probably the closest we have to Fry's. (Just on a much smaller scale) Datavision sells PCs and laptops, and has a basement full of parts and peripherals-- including cases, motherboards, HBAs etc. Whatever we may need, there is a good chance they will have it. There are multiple Apple stores in the city, one 24/365. Other worthwhile options are Cables&Chips, J&R, Tekserve, B&H, and a lot of other independent ones around 8th-9th avenues in the 40s (just west of Times Square, see above).

    • Supermarkets, etc.

Supermarkets, etc. are extremely common, and the other types of stores listed are plentiful. See below for a list and map of options in Morningside Heights. Every type of store necessary for typical everyday life is within easy walking distance. This is the primary mode of living of people here.

  • How easy is to handicapped people move there?

All New York City buses and a significant portion of the subway stations are accessible to handicapped people, as are all the major universities where we are looking for venues. Hostelling International is handicapped accessible.

  • Which is the nearest airport?

There are two major international airports in the NYC area, JFK and EWR. There is another major airport serving the US and a few international destinations, LGA. Other international airports in not-too-distant cities are PHL and BOS, plus the domestic airports PVD (also serving two international destinations) and ISP. Wikipedia Lists even more.

  • Are there any cheap airlines flying near the chosen city?

New York (and to a slightly lesser extent Boston) has relatively cheap and direct flights from most of the world, with not-too-long flight times for most Debian developers.

  • How long does the trip from the airport to the venue take?

Only 30 minutes to one hour to get from JFK/EWR/LGA to most places in NYC by public transportation, though it could be more if you travel by car/bus/taxi at peak traffic times. There are rail links to two airports, and a direct bus from the other one to Morningside Heights right next to our venues.

  • Are there any import regulations, which might affect DebConf? (e.g. a limit to number of notebooks / DVDs / other media you can bring in; hard regulations for money transfers; etc.)

Most of those things should be OK to bring in unlimited amounts for personal use. There are amounts allowed for duty-free gifts, plus regulations on typical things like alcohol/tobacco/fruits/vegetables/dairy/meats.

  • Language: Do most people talk English? How hard is it for a foreigner to find their way around?

English is spoken everywhere; this would not be 3rd year in a row where most DebConf attendees do not have some command of the local language. (That will be the case for DebConf9 in Spain and was the case for DebConf8 in Argentina.) Spanish is also widely spoken, especially in the part of New York City we are planning to hold the conference.

[edit] City Life

Nycstuff.jpg

  • Easy to get around the city. New York is the US City with least cars per capita. Furthermore, this is not because of a student-centered nature, it is because citizens truly do not need (or want) one. Thus, all DebConfers will be on equal footing with locals, and can truly enjoy the city. New Yorkers pride themselves on having one of the best public transportation systems in the world.
  • English is spoken everywhere. Other languages, particularly Spanish, are spoken by enough shop-keepers to help visitors for whom English is not a native language. In fact, there are by far more spanish speakers in NYC, 1.8 million, than in any other past (through 2008), planned (2009), or proposed (2010) DebConf host city. Hostelling International has staff trained in Spanish and French. New York, perhaps more so than any other city, is seen as a melting pot of cultures. There are enclaves of many ethnicities, as well as mixtures all throughout the city, and the city is taking positive actions to make it accessible to everyone.
  • New York may seem stressful for newcomers, however, the reality is far different. The transportation system is well labeled; most tourists rely on it. We will not be camping in Times Square, we will be in Morningside Heights, a lively neighborhood where everyone can relax. This is a rare opportunity to get a week (or two) in New York City for a reasonable price, though of course a majority of that time will (hopefully) be spent at DebConf.
  • Full google maps, google street view, google traffic coverage.
  • Excellent cell phone coverage, with prepaid SIM cards available for purchase from many shops.
  • The city never sleeps, just like DebConf hackers
    • The subway system never closes. Service decreases at night, but is still populated enough that it is safe. Sane people do take the subway at 3am. And 4am on a Sunday morning.
    • Shops/Restaurants are open late.
    • If you are on the street late at night, you aren't alone. Many other people keep active. Always.
    • If a restaurant closes before 21:00, locals wonder what is wrong.
    • Most bars/pubs open extremely late.
  • New York is amazingly safe. "As of 2005, New York City has the lowest crime rate among the ten largest cities in the United States.... Since 1991, the city has seen a continuous fifteen-year trend of decreasing crime.... Among the 182 U.S. cities with populations of more than 100,000, New York City ranked 136th in overall crime (with about the same crime rate as Boise, Idaho).". Crime in New York City
  • Lists and Lists of things:
  • Very vegetarian and vegan friendly
    • Ranked as one most vegetarian friendly cities in the US, and the most vegetarian friendly on the east coast. (cite, cite)
    • Many veg/vegan. Any list such as this is incomplete since there are so many places.
    • Vegan desserts. (small sample) Vegan Ice Cream.

[edit] Tech in New York

[edit] Morningside Heights/ Upper West Side

  • Lots of local restaurants, daytrip places, shops, nightlife, for all kinds of budget. Morningside Heights escapes most of the hustle-and-bustle of the city.
  • See our Columbia-Morningside area map.

[edit] In the US

  • Currency has weakened significantly in recent years, so NYC is cheap for Europeans and others
  • Hosting in the same country as SPI gives us tax advantages. Two Local Team members are also SPI board members and officers, making transactions convenient. SPI is also chartered in New York, and legal representation (including SFLC and another lawyer with a package in Debian) is also based in New York.

[edit] Travel/Transportation Logistics

  • Big tourist spot, over 46 million visitors in 2007 (cite), and the rate has been increasing since 2003.
  • Compared to other large US east coast cities, it is easier to get direct flights from anywhere in the world. Many airports, as well as other city airports in nearby range.
  • New York contains the two busiest train stations in the United States. Multiple commuter rail systems converge here: Long Island Railroad, Metro North, PATH, New Jersey Transit. Amtrak has regional and nationwide service, and connects to VIA Rail in Canada.
  • New York is very pedestrian friendly, since that is what most people do. Shops cater to pedestrians, not cars.
  • There are multiple major bus terminals, as well as cheap point-to-point Chinatown buses. Some lines offer wireless internet.
  • As stated above, the New York City Subway never closes. Taxis are plentiful always, and cars can also be requested from other reputable companies by phone.

[edit] Day Trips and Recreation

  • All the NY Stuff. A small selection is at this map overlay.
  • Coney Island
    • Accessible via subway.
  • Catskills (hiking)
    • Rent tour buses to get there.
  • Walk across the George Washington Bridge to NJ Palisades -- hiking.

[edit] Venue

ColumbiaLawn.jpg

We have investigated many options in the Upper West Side, as well as the rest of the city. We have two independent plans for venues, to provide sufficient back-up options. Both have downsides, but are located close enough physically to be able to rely on the strengths of both. We could use facilities from both of these venue options:

  • Columbia University could host the conference. We have the support of the Chair of the Computer Science Department, a second-in-command of CUIT, Eben Moglen, and others. This bid is described below. Columbia pictures here
  • Hostelling International can hold up to 600 people, and has meeting facilities on-site. Hostelling International pictures here
  • More (old) notes at DebConf10/NewYork/Venues

Our final bid proposal, and a summary of our options, is included below. The pages above can serve as reference to our two independent bid options. Again, we have many options to host DebConf10. We can adapt should something fall through, as is possible anywhere.

We have the following major options for venues:

  • SEAS Rooms (College of Engineering) are free for us, and we could reserve them 24/7, exclusively for Debconf, over the summer.
    • We have Davis Auditorium(200p), CEPSR 414(30-40p), and Interschool Lab(50-60p) as talk rooms. The non-auditorium rooms have movable chairs and tables. All have projection equipment already.
    • Carleton Cafeteria can serve as our food service area. This cafeteria is closed over the summer, and we can use their food service facilities. We can use it as an all-night hacklab.
    • We will have to pay for clean-up costs ($50/hour) if food is served, and maybe security ($50/hour) if we use the rooms overnight. We can book these immediately.
  • Registrar Classrooms will be available only closer to Summer 2010. Large rooms will be easier to reserve than small rooms, but small rooms will be possible if we can move between buildings.
    • E-rooms, managed by CUIT, cost $600/day, but no fee outside of business hours.
    • There is a wide variety of classrooms. We can get classrooms with movable chairs and tables for hacklabs, in a worst-case scenario.
    • There are a lot of programs on campus over the summer. We couldn't reserve rooms until late, March to May 2010 timeframe.
  • Dorm Common Areas must be discussed after we get closer to time and book dorms for ourselves, if we go that route. They could serve as 24-hour hacklabs.
  • The Law School has many large rooms, for a low price, courtesy of Eben Moglen. They may be undergoing construction and thus we must check with them again in 2010. These are a good overflow option.
  • Lerner Hall is an option of last resort because it is very expensive. This is the student center, and they have a variety of rooms suitable for anything from DebianDay to talks to hacklabs.
  • Hostelling International has four rooms, two large and two small, which could be used in emergencies. This is not ideal as it is farther away, but can work as a night gathering spot.


Room Class Locations/Sizes Resrv. procedure Cost
SEAS rooms (through CS dept) Davis Auditorium(196p) Available for us basically 24/7 after mid-june Free
SEAS rooms (through CS dept) Interschool Lab(55p, movable chairs) Available for us basically 24/7 after mid-june Free
SEAS rooms (through CS dept) CEPSR 414(20-40p, movable chairs) Available for us basically 24/7 after mid-june Free
SEAS rooms (through CS dept) Carleton Cafeteria(~100 people) Available for us basically 24/7 after mid-june Free
Dorm Common Rooms Various Lerner Hall services Not Free
Lerner Hall Conference Rooms Various sizes and shapes Very Not Free
Registrar Classrooms (more not on list). Some owned by registrar, some by departments List LH (registrar's office). $600/day for any e-room, Free after business hours. Non-eroom is always free
Chem Dept Havemeyer 309 (339 people) DF, Chem Dept E-room charges (above), (but maybe free through chem dept?)
Other Departments  ??


  • How much does it cost to rent these facilities?

Detailed above. A majority of our needs could be handled using the free SEAS rooms. We have many overflow spaces we can use if needed

  • How far away are the locations from each other? (auditoriums, hacklabs, restaurant, sleeping quarters, info desk)

Everything on the Columbia campus is very close - 5 minutes maximum. We would mostly be using buildings that are less than a minute away.

    • What kind of places are available suitable for hacklabs, workshops, BoFs and talks?

See above for discussion.

    • How many people fit in each of them?

See above for discussion.

    • How flexible can that be handled?

Fairly flexible, depending on the posted fire code capacity. There is a large pull of unused classrooms which we can adopt as time comes closer.

      • ~-Can smaller auditoriums be merged into a bigger one?-~

Not for any of the options listed above.

      • Are tables/chairs fixed, or can we arrange them to fit more people/give more room to the people that we need?

See above.

    • Is the venue ready for handicapped people? Note: Keep in mind that it's not only motion-handicapped - Is the area safe for people with any kind of handicap? (There are sight and hearing-impaired people, too.) Bonus: What people is it not good for?

The campus is ADA-accessible. There is a map of accessible routes between buildings. Getting to upper campus requires an elevator, which are present in buildings, as well as an exterior 24/7 one. More assistance can be provided from Columbia's office of disability services.

      • Access to all areas with ramps and/or elevators? (Note: carrying somebody over some steps is not usually an acceptable option.)

See map above. Basically, yes, with possible isolated exceptions we will avoid or work around.

      • Are there people with experience handling handicapped people, who checked that?

The campus office of disability services researches accessibility on campus, publishes the map above, and can handle other issues.

  • Are blueprints with exact distances available to us (to be kept confidential on request)?

The campus has blueprints on file, we could request them if need be. However, since the campus is always open it is easy to visit to spot check.

  • What kind of audio equipment is already present at the auditoriums?

SEAS rooms have a/v equipment in them Registrar E-Rooms have at least projection equipment and a computer in the room already, large ones have audio. Mics vary between rooms, rooms large enough where you will need them will have them available.

    • Wireless or stationary mics?

See above.

    • clip-on kind of mics or cary in your hand mics?

See above.

    • How many of them?

See above.

  • Will the hacklabs be allowed to stay open 24x7? What time schedule do they offer?
  • What kind of security will be there?

At the worst, we can keep Columbia buildings and rooms open 24/7 if we pay for security guards (~$50/hour when the building would otherwise be closed.) This may not be necessary, depending on our exact arrangements which must be determined closer to time.

  • Are there any limitations regarding the consumptions of food / alcohol? Where do what limitations apply?

We can not have food in most classrooms. We can have it served in the lobby outside of Davis Auditorium, and can use all of the facilities of Carleton Cafeteria to serve food. Bringing in off-campus catering is fine in the SEAS area. Food outside anywhere is fine, and there are many open-air benches and tables to sit at. Alcohol will be fine too within certain legal restrictions, perhaps necessitating hiring security for the area.

    • How far is it to the nearest convenience stores / all-night restaurants?

This is New York City. They are very close. There are at least three 24-hour supermarkets in a 10-block radius. Many restaurants are open late. I don't know how many are all-night, but there are all-night delis at least. See our google map.


[edit] Food

We have various options for food:

  • Catering is flexible. The College of Engineering has no requirement to use an on-campus caterer, so we can get cheaper food brought in with bulk discounts. We can use Carleton Cafeteria to serve this food.
  • John Jay Dining Hall will be open during the summer, and can serve buffet-style food for our participants.
  • Debit Cards can be acquired through Columbia Conference Housing. There are two options:
    • On-campus only, which would not be recommended during the summer since since some on-campus options close down.
    • Flex, usable in on-campus locations, certain off-campus restaurants and supermarkets, as well as for online ordering take-out via campusfoods.com.
  • There is a huge variety of neighboring restaurants in Mornignside Heights and the Upper West Side, as well as the rest of the city. Attendees will be eager to try out many of these options.
  • All of these could be combined.


  • How much are the meals per person per day?

See Above.

  • Is the eating place near the talks place / the hacklabs?

Depends on where we want to serve it. We can use Carleton Cafeteria to serve food, which is very near the talk rooms. If people choose to eat off-campus, restaurants are extremely close and varied.

  • What kind of food would be served?

We can either get catered buffets, or we can load up debit cards for either a) on-campus only dining or b) on- and off-campus dining.

    • In what fashion? (service to the table, limited buffet, open buffet, etc.)

We can use the serving facilities of Carleton Cafeteria to serve food buffet style. There can be seating in the cafeteria (~100 people), as well as extensive open-air seating outside which we will want to take advantage of. The off-campus dining locations are very close.

  • Would food for vegetarians / vegan / lactose-alergic / religious (of any denomination) people be available?

Definitely, New York is very vegetarian friendly and it is extremely rare to see anywhere without a vegetarian option. Vegan options are common, also.

    • How much meals do we need to order to get those kind of "special" meals?

Most events in new york have vegetarian options regardless of how few people show up. Events will host vegan options if needed.

    • Will it cost extra to get those special meals?

Not very much, if at all.

  • In a two week period, how many more or less equal meals can we expect?

Depends on our exact catering options. We can arrange to not have multiple meals identical. It all depends on our chosen caterer.



[edit] Network connectivity

  • Is the area already wired with regular network infrastructure? (much preferrably: 100Mbps or 1Gbps switched)

We have the support of a Columbia IT second-in-command for hosting this conference, so we can get accommodations when needed. Columbia has a high quality academic network, which will be present in any room we use. The capacity is such that we do not need to worry about details at this time. The CUIT chief, when told of our requirements, expressed that this should be no problem. He can aid us in bringing connectivity wherever else needed.

  • How much does it cost and how difficult is it to get a big internet connection? (10/20 Mbits at least)

Very easy since it's already here. There is also already an on-campus Debian mirror. 

deb http://mirror.cc.columbia.edu/pub/linux/debian/debian squeeze main
deb-src http://mirror.cc.columbia.edu/pub/linux/debian/debian squeeze main


  • How much work does it imply to cover the area with wireless links?

It's mostly already done. We can work with CUIT to extend this wherever needed.

  • if we use someone else's infrastructure, how easy / flexible can that be handled, regarding routing / firewall / ip-range / public access / other stuff?

Access on campus isn't filtered. However, since CUIT#2 is involved, we can get adjustments whenever we need.

    • Do we have restrictions on allowed ports?

See Above.

    • Are we traffic-shaped? Or can we set a traffic shaper if we need so?

See Above.

  • Would it be possible to set up the network before Debcamp? (a day or two, earlier would be nicer, in order to handle problems gracefully. Additional weeks for wireless.)

Yes, most certainly. For DebCamp at Columbia, the network would likely not need pre-setup because wireless and wired already exists. Wired equipment can be set up at a leisurely pace.

[edit] Special rooms

Both for server and video rooms:

  • General conditions for the rooms

We can work out co-location when time comes closer. The Chemistry Department Cluster Manager has expressed interest in working with us to co-locate servers in the chemistry cluster room. Richard has 24/7 access to this room.

    • Size

Has at least several hundred rack-mounted CPUs inside. There is still space for non-rack mount equipment to be temporarily set up. Since we are working with CUIT, we could get our separate link to the outside world to not compete with the Chemistry users. There will certainly be other offers of hosting as more contacts are found.

    • Have they/do they need air conditioning?

The chem cluster room has industrial air-conditioning, primary and backup.

    • What electrical load can they handle?

Far more than we need, considering the amount of CPUs already in there.

[edit] Accommodation

We have many options in the neighborhood. The prices listed are estimated 2010 prices, not old prices which are guaranteed to inflate.

Name/Location Cost pp/pn (USD) Distance (walking distance from our exact venue buildings, not from campus) Max Capacity Notes
Columbia Housing 52.50 Very close, 500-650m Hundreds Exact details are uncertain, however if we are willing to split between buildings, we will almost certainly have spots. It is also very likely that we can get a single building to ourselves. Discussed options with their office are are Furnald, Carmen, McBain, or River; see the list and floor plans.
Hostelling International 39 1350m down a populated and lively avenue ~600 Has venue rooms available there as well as backups. We have floor plans (not publicly distributed).
NYC Hostels 21-23 1200m,1400m,2200m Five scattered buildings, max capacity > 500
Broadway Hostel and Hotel 27(june) 32(july) 1700m Hundreds, ~550
  • How much does it cost per person per night?

See above.

  • Is the place where people are going to sleep near the conference facilities?

See above.

  • Is it able to handle a varying number from 20 to 400 of people?

Yes, see above. Of course, this is subject to the proper advance reservations. We will need to estimate numbers "soon enough".

  • Is it able to handle non-native speaking people? (i.e. do the people at the sleeping facilities speak English?)

Yes, and possible other languages. HI has staff which speak Spanish and French.

  • Will there be a need of a "Debconf" info-desk, or would the local (hotel or such) people be able to handle that themselves? (See InfoDesk for details on duties)

We can arrange this at most of the above places, as well as at Columbia.

  • Will it be possible for couples to stay in their own rooms?

Some of these venues have private rooms. There are lots of other (more expensive) hotels.

  • How many room keys would be available?

All hostels/hotels/housing would provide one key per person

  • Are there other hotels around?

New York has many many hotels, but they can be very expensive. As can be seen above, there are many other hostels nearby for independent booking (at more expensive but still reasonable non-group prices).

  • Are there rooms ready for handicapped people? How many?

HI is handicap accessible. CU Housing can accommodate.

[edit] Fun and Free time

For the answer to all of these questions, see the above New York City sections.

  • What activities can be done during the free time?
  • What would be a possible Day Trip?
    • Is the proposed location ready to receive people with disabilities?
  • How expensive would that be?

[edit] Local Sponsors

  • Do you have a list of prospective sponsors that might be interested in the conference? Money, hardware, connectivity, etc.

In the university, we have support of the

  • Chair of the Computer Science department
  • A second-in-command at CUIT
  • Eben Moglen, Columbia Law professor and head of the Software Freedom Law Center.
  • the CU ACM

There is a large tech community (see above) which can also support us.

[edit] "I don't want to go to the US!"

  • How friendly is your country towards foreigners?

Aside from the visa/border issues (about which see below), most of the residents once you're in the country are quite friendly and helpful to foreigners, especially in cosmopolitan cities like NYC.

  • Visas: Which/how many countries' citizens require getting a visa? How hard (bureaucratic, probable) is it to get it?

Long answer.

Other points:

  • Many North Americans might not be able to travel to Europe or Asia but can get to NYC
  • Interest in DebConf from North Americans has been declining - this would change that
  • Once you attend a DebConf, you're more likely to go to future ones in other countries

[edit] Credits

NYC Montage image is from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:NYC_Montage_7.jpg Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, Author Jleon

Retrieved from "https://wiki.debconf.org/wiki?title=DebConf10/NewYork&oldid=29199"
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