Folks -
I want to make a further comment about tonight's discussion about the site
and site logistics. I'd like to ask all of you to listen to the discussion
less as a bashing of the local host and the city and people of Vienna, and
more as I think it was intended - a critique of the site and facilities as
they relate to serving the needs of the IETF. The person who started the
discussion made at least three separate points related to the facilities -
at no time did he impugn or otherwise denigrate Vienna, the people of
Vienna, or the local host.
The points were (as near as I remember) - that the geographic separation of
hotel and meeting facilities was a problem, that there were power issues in
the rooms both related to the amount and to the location, and that there
was no water in any of the rooms until the near the end.
We've had meetings with geographic separation before - mostly this causes
problems in the formation of the usual IETF bar BOFs. Going back to the
beginning of the IETF, much of the small group discussion at the IETF has
taken place after or between the session in and around the bar at the
conference hotel. Quite a lot of the ideas which have made it into the
standards process have started because of the free flow of information and
the liberal application of two or three beers. The Bar BOF is a well
established part of the IETF meeting culture and meetings without an
obvious place to meet post session have generally been less productive.
The power issues are more properly the purview of the facility (e.g. the
conference center) coordinator. Letting the secretariat know about the
problem is both appropriate and helpful for their evaluation of the
facility for possible later use.
The lack of water, drinking fountains, cups, etc was frankly painful to
me. This was attributed to the policy of the conference facility... maybe
I'm spoiled, but I found this policy strange and unusual and not applicable
to any of the other facilities we've met at previously.
I do want to echo Randy Bush and others with thanks to the host for an
excellent wireless system and network. I didn't have to fall back once to
the terminal room, so I can't comment on good/bad there.
Please, let's try and take comments at face value and not treat the people
making them like they're trying to kick your puppy.
Thanks - Mike
ps - I've been to 55 of the IETF meetings... I get to comment from time to
time.