Notes on the DMFUG Planning Session - 3rd December 2013

Next meeting

    Location - probably Sydney, maybe Brisbane

    Timing - need to avoid:
	- Australian spring school holidays (early Oct)
	- eResearch Australasia conference (Oct)
	- SuperComputing 14 conference (Nov)
	- Thanksgiving and its build-up (late Nov)
	- Australian summer school holidays (late Dec - end Jan)

	FWIW, daylight saving (starts 5th Oct) makes it harder for some
	Australians but moves the early timeslots into US office hours.

	Perhaps early September?  (February was suggested, but Feb
	2015 was thought to be too far away)

    (Not discussed, but probably should have been, was the duration.
    Except for the first one, each meeting has been held over two days.
    But this year, for the first time, we had to decline an offer of a
    presentation; even so, the schedule may still have been too full.
    We should discuss whether we can justify going to three days,
    or whether we just trim down the agenda somehow.)

    Spectra Logic offered to assist in 2014 (thank you!)

    Round table discussion(s) to replace some presentations?
    A duration of 2 hours was suggested.  Some suggestions were:
	- DMF Best Practices
	- Capacity Planning

Wish-List

    So far, we have completed a wish-list in Feb 2011 and Dec 2012.
    There were suggestions (including some from SGI) that it be
    annual, and for maximum effect, not in the later part of the
    financial year.

    As there's no need to couple it to any face-to-face meetings,
    we will start working on the next one ASAP.

    There were several discussions relating to the need to DMF to
    operate with the GUI interface on Windows clients.  This is likely
    to feature in the next wish-list judging by the opinions of those
    present at the meeting.

Other Meetings

    So far, all DMFUG meetings have been held in Australia.  There is
    no particular reason for it to stay that way.

    All that's needed is for someone elsewhere to take the initiative!
    (They might need to have an employer who sees promotion of DMF
    as being in its own self-interest.)  One suggestion was to do so
    as an SGIUG SIG.

    We see no reason why the current web-site and mailing list should
    not be used to assist such a person, either initially or long-term.
    There would be advantages in sharing these amongst groups.

Errata?

    The above is from the notes I made at the time.  Please let me
    know what I missed or got wrong.
							Peter Edwards