Re: [guadec-list] GUADEC 2016: length and schedule

[Allan Day <allanpday gmail com>]

Alexandre Franke <alexandre franke gmail com> wrote:
...
> > Reducing the length of
> > time allocated to each talk would be my preference, if it is desirable to
> > keep the same number of talks on the schedule.
>
> As the guy who had to kick people out of rooms because they were
> chatting with the speaker or the speaker was still not done with his
> talk when the time had passed, but also as a speaker who thought it
> was a bit difficult to cover everything I wanted to in the allocated
> time, I don't think it would be good to reduce the length.

It certainly is possible to have shorter talks, though. LGM has 20
minute slots, for example, and Systemd has 30 minute talks.
Interestingly, both of these conferences only have a single track.

I think it really depends on the type of talks that we are aiming for.
Update talks can comfortably fit into 30 minutes (and this is true for
a lot of the talks at GUADEC). Thought pieces, talks that set out an
agenda, or talks that provide an overview of an area do take longer.

The best talks I've seen at GUADEC would have struggled to have fitted
into 30 minutes. That said, one thing I dislike about long talk slots
is that they allow a lazy approach to writing a talk. Shorter slots
force you to plan much more carefully, and could help to increase
quality.

It might be worth considering a mix of talk lengths.

Allan