14 DAY TRIAL // This year’s edition of DebConf, the Debian Project developer conference, will only take place online due to the global health issue, the organization announced this weekend.
Just like before, the DebConf20 will take place between August 23 and August 29, however, the team expects the event itself to be shorter than before, albeit they explain that everything depends on the proposals that it receives until the kickoff date.
This year’s edition of the conference was scheduled to take place in Haifa, so now the entire schedule is pushed back for one year. In other words, while the 2020 edition will happen online, the 2021 venue will take place in Haifa, followed by Kosovo in 2022 and Kochi, India in 2023.
“The DebConf team has had to take the hard decision that DebConf 20 cannot happen in-person, in Haifa, in August, as originally planned. This decision is based on the status of the venue in Haifa, the local team's view of the local health situation, the existing travel restrictions and the results of a survey of potential participants,” the official announcement reads.
Same agenda
Of course, a decision on the 2021 venue is yet to be made, but the if the global health crisis is resolved, then the event will be held with the typical physical audience just like before.
As for the 2020 edition, the DebConf team says nothing changes for the agenda and attendees can still get in touch with other developers to discuss, only that everything happens online.
“The Debian community can still get together to share ideas, discuss plans in Birds of a Feather sessions, and eat cheese, from the safety of the desks at home,” the team explains.
Several other tech companies have moved their events online due to the same issue, including here Google, Microsoft, Apple, and others, all planning to return to physical events beginning with the 2021 schedule.