DebConf17/Welcome
Welcome to the wiki for DebConf 17 in Montreal, Canada. It is being hosted at the Collège de Maisonneuve from August 6 to August 12, 2017. Before that there is DebCamp, July 31st to August 4th, and and the Open Day, August 5th this year.
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[edit] Annual Debian Conference
DebConf is the annual conference for Debian contributers and users interested in improving the Debian project, one of the largest Free Software projects worldwide. The Debian Project is an association of volunteer individuals who have made common cause to create an operating system entirely of Free Software.
Once a year they gather and concentrate on the development and improvement of the Debian distribution. DebConf is a combination of concurrent scheduled talks, plenaries, development sprints, hacking time and ad-hoc meetings and sessions.
[edit] Before departing for Montreal
In case of any problems (including delays or cancellation), please contact <registration@debconf.org> as soon as possible, or if you are already travelling, phone or SMS the Front Desk at +1 514-316-7065 (use this number sparingly after-hours Eastern time).
Familiarize yourself with the Codes of Conduct for both Debian and DebConf. If you are harassed, or observe harassment, you can contact <antiharassment@debian.org> or members of the local anti-harassment team who are recognizable with pink conference badges. For any other kind of problem, the Front Desk and Organisation team may be of help.
Check your travel documents. Will your passport remain valid for the duration of your stay? Do you have all necessary travel authorizations such as an eTA or visa? If are used to visiting Canada without a visa and haven't in the last 6 months, you may be unaware of the new eTA system. You should check if you need an eTA, and apply online ASAP:
Notify your bank that you'll be travelling to Canada to avoid having your card(s) blocked.
Do you have travel insurance? This could be important should you become in need of medical attention, as the Canadian public health insurance system does not cover travellers. Be sure to also check with your provider if you're covered in case of lost or stolen items, such as electronics and computer devices.
Note that cheese may be imported but duty may be charged if the total product value exceeds 20 CAD. For alcohol, the permitted allowance is 1,5L of wine and up to 8,5L of beer. This information might be relevant to your (optional) contribution to the Cheese and Wine party.
[edit] Accommodation Details
All details regarding conference-provided accommodation are on the Accommodation page.
[edit] What to Bring
An international adapter (if required) and power supplies for all your devices.
Light clothes. It's summer in Montreal, and the days are warm and often humid. The daily maximums range from 22 to 30°C, while nights usually drop to around 15 to 18°C. The conference venue will be air conditioned so depending on the outdoor conditions and the number of people in the venue, the indoor temperature could get relatively cold so do also bring along a couple of warmer clothing items such as a hoodie. It will rain from time to time so a raincoat and/or umbrella will be useful. Don't forget a reusable water bootle and sunscreen if you plan to enjoy the outdoors.
An Ethernet cable is always useful to have, if we have WiFi trouble. WiFi should be available in every area we use on the campus.
Printed PGP/GPG fingerprint slips, if you want to have your key signed by other peers.
[edit] Airport Arrival
[edit] Public Transit (747 bus)
See DebConf17/Getting_There#Public_Transit
[edit] Taxis
Upon exiting the border control check zone and arriving in the part of the airport open to the public, look for the taxi signs. Follow them outside and the taxis should be there.
The taxi fare from the airport to downtown Montreal is priced at a fixed 40 CAD. It might cost you more to get to the venue, since it is about 5km east of the downtown area. You can simply hail for a cab at the airport. Uber is also available.
Ask them to drop you off at Collège de Maisonneuve. The address is 3800 Sherbrooke Est. Once inside, look for the signs showing you the way to the front desk!
[edit] Front Desk location
The Front Desk is located on the second floor, in the main hall. Look for a windowed room with DebConf signs. If you're arriving late (after 22:00) and Front Desk is closed, there will be a volunteer stationed at the Nicolet entrance who will help you get into your designated dorm. If you're arriving very late (after 3am) you can use the same entrance but there might not be any volunteer to help you into your room unless you planned ahead and let us know of your extremely late arrival. In case of problems, the Front Desk may be reached at +1 514-316-7065.
[edit] Conference Schedule
Now would be a good time to plan your stay and start thinking of the talks you want to see. The schedule is available here.
You can find instructions for loading the schedule on your mobile device here.
[edit] Local Points of Interest
Make sure you have a look at the local POIs for interesting spots to know about near the venue: http://deb.li/dc17poi
