FYI: Dutch 1998 FreeBSD WorldCon, October 1998, Arnhem, The Netherlands

                                PRELIMINARY

                Infosheet for the Dutch 1998 FreeBSD WorldCon
                        October 1998, Arnhem,
                        The Netherlands

Rev: 0.6 Author: Wilko Bulte
                                                email: wilko(at)freebsd.org
Date:
Tue May 26 20:10:13 CEST 1998

What is it all about
--------------------

The 1998 Dutch FreeBSD WorldCon is a social event, allowing people from
all nationalities to meet face to face all those people normally only
contacted via email.

The organisers hope that, even without much of a formal agenda, it will be a
enjoyable and useful event. The sharing of views, the discusson of the
hot issues that are part of the FreeBSD world, the free (Unix) software
on the Internet and of computers in general are but a few of the possible
topics.

We hope to have some of the core developers present, and (keeps fingers
crossed) to have some talks by them.

Apart of the serious bits, Arnhem offers a selection of restaurants and
a renowned pub centre, known as the 'Korenmarkt' (the old 'Corn Market').
Let's hope the less serious discussions will find fertile ground there ;-)

Where will it be held
---------------------

The FreeBSD WorldCon will be held in Arnhem, The Netherlands. Arnhem
is located approximately 1 hr by train from Amsterdam Airport (Schiphol).
Look for it on the banks of the river Rhine. For those of you with
historical sense, this is the city of the 'Battle of Arnhem' in WW2.

The event will be held in the TCJA. The TCJA is a foundation that strives to
popularise science and technology among the youth. For an impression check
out http://www.tcja.nl

Note that this is not a plush conference resort.. The multiple rooms at the
TCJA are normally used for things like woodworking, electronics etc. So
don't get nervous when a soldering iron is in sight.

When will it be held
--------------------

The 3 day event starts on Wednesday October 21 and ends on Friday evening.

This schedule was put together to allow visitors sightseeing trips over
the Oct 23/24 weekend. The most common Dutch tourist trap, Amsterdam,
is only 1:10hr away by train. People who arrived by plane can easily fly
back from Amsterdam Airport after visiting Amsterdam.

FYI: our timezone is WET.

Agenda skeleton
---------------

> Wednesday Oct 21

        10:00 - 12:00 Arrival of attendees at the TCJA

        12:00 - 12:30 Word of welcome, organisational issues

        12:30 - 14:00 Lunch

        14:00 - 16:30 Talk by core member(s) <<insert volunteer here>>

        19:30 - ?? Dinner and drinks in Arnhem 'Korenmarkt'

> Thursday Oct 22

        09:30 - 12:00 Group talk, read email, whatever

        12:00 - 14:00 Lunch

        14:00 - 16:30 Individual/group activities

        19:30 - ?? Shopping (shops open until 21:00) and social
                        at the 'Korenmarkt'

> Friday Oct 23

        09:30 - 12:00 Individual/group activities

        12:00 - 14:00 Lunch

        14:00 - 16:30 Individual/group activities

        16:30 - 17:00 Wrapup, goodbyes, etc

> Saturday Oct 24 / Sunday Oct 25

                Sight-seeing opportunities

Please provide input and suggestions on the skeleton agenda above.
How about special interest groups (SIG) ??

Lodging
-------

Arnhem has multiple motels and hotels. There is a also youth hostel
reasonably close to the TCJA. A list of hotel addresses etc will be
supplied as soon as time permits.

I have been offered lodging for a couple of people at a private home
of a friend of mine. Please send email to myself (wilko(at)freebsd.org)
if you are interested in pursuing this route. I will then put
you in contact with this guy.

Lunch/dinner
------------

Considering the number of people expected to attend it is deemed
impractical to really organise lunch/dinner. With the inner city
close by, with diners, restaurants & fastfood to everyone's liking.
Everybody is free to arrange and pay for themselves. Some fresh air won't
hurt after the heated debates ;-)

A copy of a city map indicating restaurants etc will be available.
The organisers, being born 'Arnhemmers', can point you in the right
direction.

On Wednesday evening we propose to have joint dinner (depends on
the number of attendees whether this is feasible or not).

The TCJA will supply ample quantities of tea and coffee. Addicts to
Jolt or other specialties are advised that these are not generally
available in the Netherlands. Bring your own if you're hooked.

Cost

----
        
To pay for the accomodation rent and to cover organisational costs the
fee per attendant is US$ 45. The money will be
for the benefit of the TCJA. Operating an organisation like this is not
easy and costs lots of money.
Payment is due at arrival in Arnhem. We are not set up to do fancy stuff
like creditcard payments, so please supply cash in Dutch guilders.
Please note that we expect people who formally sign up to be there
(or at least pay the fee ;-) in order to cover the expenses made
by the organisation.
Net access
----------
The TCJA has a network with 6 Sun workstations and 5 Windows PCs
hooked up to a FreeBSD proxyserver/Internet gateway. An ISDN line connects
us to the outside world.
The internal Ethernet is 10base2 based, the FreeBSD box provides DHCP
server functionality. So, by all means bring your laptop if you like.
I have one (1) 10base2 -> 10baseT box, if need be we could add some 10baseT
taps if somebody brings us a 10baseT hub and some cables. Please contact
the organisers if you think this is useful/needed and can supply the
necessary netgear.
Getting to Arnhem
-----------------
Arnhem is centrally located in the Netherlands. It can easily be reached
by car or public transport (train, bus).
>       For those of you arriving by plane:
People arriving via Amsterdam Airport Schiphol are recommended to travel
by train to Arnhem. Schiphol has it's own train station below the airport
halls.
The Amsterdam area is notorious for it's traffic congestion
problems. It is amongst the densest populated areas of the world..
The train trip is approx 1:10hr, for the train schedules please check
http://www.ns.nl This web site of Dutch Rail provides an English version of
the timetable.
>       For those of you arriving by car:
Arnhem is next the A12 motorway, running from Utrecht/The Hague to
Oberhausen (Germany). People arriving from the south are advised to use the
A352, running from Nijmegen to Arnhem.
Parking in Arnhem itself is mostly fee-based in parking houses. The closest
one to the TCJA is a +- 10 minutes walk. The train & bus station
is a 10-15 minutes walk. Stay away of permit holders parking lots, these
people pay $$ for their space and will likely call the police if you park
on their lot. The permit places are marked with signs
"Vergunninghoudersplaats" or something similar. 
Getting around in Arnhem
------------------------ 
Driving a car in Arnhem is not the most practical means of transportation.
Especially not because a major overhaul is in progress of the inner city,
around the bus/trainstation. The 'interesting' traffic that results
makes even born 'Arnhemmers' look for alternative ways to get around.
The inner city is a pedestrian zone, located at a 10 minutes walk from the
TCJA. The inner city itself is reasonably compact, is crowded with shops of
every kind so walking should not be an issue.
For people who wish to stay in the youth hostel we need to make some further
arrangements. The hostel is not close enough to make walking practical
(unless a 45 minute walk or so is to your liking ;-) Maybe a joint taxi ride
is possible.
Registration deadline
---------------------
The registration deadline is July 1, 1998.
Registration can be done by email to the organisers email address
(see end of this infosheet).
You will be sent a registration form in return so that we have all info
in a standard format.
Please note that we might have to limit the number of attendees so please don't
wait until the last minute. We feel the TCJA will house something like
35-40 people without getting too awkward.
Information flow
----------------
People who are interested in attending the event are invited to subscribe
to the 'hackersparty' mailing list at majordomo(at)tcja.nl
This is a closed list, the listowner (== me) will approve your subscription
within a day or so.
Weird request
-------------
The TCJA is largely dependent on gifts and sponsors for it's operation. In
this spirit I want to ask people who have surplus Sun or PC stuff (anything >=
486-class) or loose parts to consider donating it to the TCJA. Our kids
will be grateful.
Please contact wilko(at)freebsd.org if you think you have something useful to
donate. 
Adresses
--------
The TCJA is at: Apeldoornseweg 27, 6814 BH Arnhem. Phone +31 26 4455018,
fax +31 26 3700068
Please do not contact the people at the TCJA directly, as they have no
direct involvement in the organisation of the event. Instead, send you
inquiries to the organisers (listed below).
Organisers
----------  
For questions or other organisational issues please contact
        Wilko Bulte (wilko(at)freebsd.org),
        Rene de Vries (rene(at)tcja.nl) and
        Andre de Groot (andre(at)tcja.nl)
via the mail alias freebsdparty-org(at)tcja.nl
_     ______________________________________________________________________
 |   / o / /  _  Bulte                            email: wilko @ yedi.iaf.nl
 |/|/ / / /( (_) Arnhem, The Netherlands          WWW:   http://www.tcja.nl
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