From what I can infer, the main issue being raised here is that ,if the event is being called a "MiniDebConf", the content of the event should be strictly Debian-centric
There seems to be some overreaction to what has been suggested by myself and others.
The idea is not that no one is allowed to talk about any other Free Software project other than Debian. Merely that there should be an overarching theme to the set of talks and that theme should be Debian.
Thus I gave the example of a git person talking about how to use git to access Debian source code or a kernel person talking about installing module packages. In the case of purely user level software like games it could even be a simple as spending the first five minutes telling how to apt-get the package and configure it. Also I would like to clarify, that I include direct derivatives such as Ubuntu, Mint etc. as part of the broader Debian community.
I personally think the event is still very much a Debian centric one.
Oh I agree. But if you call it debconf and have most of the talks about Debian it makes even less for other random things to be included under the same conceptual umbrella don't you think?
Let's not forget that we are yet to publish the CFP and I'm hoping that we'll get a strong response to the same. However, I really do doubt if we'll have enough number of Debian-centric talks, that will stretch the worth of a two day event. I say this after taking into account various factors like the location of the event, the popularity of the community in the region(lot of people use Debian alright, but not many contributors) and perhaps the most important of all - the proximity of the event with Diwali(The biggest festival in India, probably) - which will affect any prospective speaker, regardless of the content of his talk.
With all due respect you have gone about this backwards. First you should have lined up speakers, determined their availability etc. and then based on that planned a date, duration etc. From where I'm sitting its a little worrisome that with only six weeks left to go, very basic features are not settled. But it is too late to argue about such things so let us move on.
However, in such a scenario, the university would expect a larger number of seasoned Debian contributors/maintainers to come forward for talks and workshops, the probability of which, on the basis of some of our previous off-list invites, looks very bleak.
And why do they have to be seasoned contributors? In our culture we have this mentality that the Rishi comes down from the Himalayas to the patiently waiting masses who sit quietly while he delivers his bodha and then disappears up the mountain again. This is not how Debian and the Free Software community works! Enthusiasm and interest are the only needed qualifications. You mentioned that there are a lot of Debian users locally. Surely they have something interesting to say. You should ask them.
That said, if all the talks are Debian-centric and by Debian community members, the college would also expect the Debian community to fill in for their travel and accommodation expenses.
The DPL has already indicated that he is willing to do that for me to attend. But that is because I and others have represented to him that this is a Debian event.
Also I cannot stress enough that international travel cannot be planned at the drop of a hat. There is only six weeks to go and I haven't even booked my plane ticket yet. How can I with this uncertainty? (The visa process is underway btw.) As prices always go up never down, each day of indecision will add to Debians financial burden.
So finally, I know that the CFP is due very soon and we're running tight on the dates, but can I have a quick show of hands of sort(by replying to this thread) of all the interested speakers from within the Debian community ?
Well you can count me as one. -- Jaldhar H. Vyas <jaldhar@debian.org>