Updated May 11th – Changed dates information.

Submissions close: (TBD – open now)
Speakers notified: (TBD)

Note: We are still hoping to hold the conference as scheduled, but we are continually monitoring the pandemic situation. For current Covid-19 updates, please see our website https://www.linuxplumbersconf.org/#covid-19

We are pleased to announce the Call for Microconferences for the 2020 Linux Plumbers Conference, which will be held in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada on August 25-27 in conjunction with Kernel Summit and Linux Maintainers Summit, which takes place on August 28th.

A microconference is a collection of collaborative sessions focused on problems in a particular area of Linux plumbing, which includes the kernel, libraries, utilities, services, UI, and so forth, but can also focus on cross-cutting concerns such as security, scaling, energy efficiency, toolchains, container runtimes, or a particular use case. Good microconferences result in solutions to these problems and concerns, while the best microconferences result in patches that implement those solutions.

For more information on submitting a microconference proposal, visit our CfP page.

The first round of accepted microconferences will be announced soon.

There will also be a refereed track for pure presentations. Call for presentations for that will be coming shortly.

What is a microconference?

What makes Linux Plumbers unique is that it is focused on development, solving problems and bringing about the new features of the future. A microconference is about being productive and solving issues of the day. It is not where one discusses what has already been done, or showing off the latest shiny new product or feature. Although it is OK to have a topic on ideas of what to do with a shiny new product or feature, it should not be about the product or feature itself. A microconference is to get people together face to face to discuss issues that are difficult to solve via email and chat alone.

Topics of a microconference

As stated above, an MC topic is about the future, not the past. It should be something that helps provide a solution for a question. How do we solve foo? I want to implement bar, but there’s these issues. How do we get around them? I have feature X but want to use it for Y, is it feasible?

Please avoid presentations as they tend to take time away from discussions. Presentations may be used to help bring the audience up to speed on what is about to be discussed. Keep it focused on the necessary details to allow people to participate and limit it to 5 to 7 minutes. Slides should only be used to complement the discussion and enable wider participation.

Successful microconference proposals

When proposing a microconference, it is important to state what is expected to be accomplished for the microconfence. Remember, the best microconferences are those that solve problems. The abstract of the proposal should describe what the topic is, and then list the various problems that could be discussed at the microconference. Note, what is listed may not be what is actually discussed, but gives the Plumbers planning committee an idea of how productive the microconference will be.

No microconference can be successful if the necessary people who are responsible for the issues are not present. The proposal should list the key contributors who will make sure the results of the discussions are most likely to be implemented. The best proposals will also state that those key contributors have agreed to attend.