[Speakers] Re: SVLUG October 2002

[Steve Traugott]

Hi Peter,

On Wed, Jun 26, 2002 at 06:20:17PM -0700, Peter Ryser wrote:
> what about
> Virtex-II Pro - An FPGA for Embedded Linux
> Virtex-II Pro - An FPGA for Linux

Talks for open-source groups need a different approach than standard
brand-building.  You want to go heavy on technology and light on
branding.  If you lead with an obvious brand name, the announcement
will get deleted by a lot of folks as SPAM when we mail it out.
Commercialized titles and descriptions can shrink our audience size by
50% or more -- I don't want the same to happen to you.  Remember, the
goal here is to get people into the room so you can show them what
you're doing.  

Take a look at http://www.svlug.org/meetings.shtml for examples.
Ignore the 3ware talk -- I had to edit that one heavily and they still
insisted on shooting themselves in the foot with superlatives and
corporatese.  We got 1/3 our normal audience.

Go ahead and send me a draft of the description.  I'd recommend you
base it on the text from Michael's June 5th message -- keep it
conversational and peer-to-peer.  Michael's message convinced me -- I
want to see your talk.  That's the reaction you want to go for.  Think
Linux Journal article.

Steve


> 
> Steve Traugott wrote:
> 
> > Hi Peter,
> >
> > On Wed, Jun 26, 2002 at 04:06:59PM -0700, Peter Ryser wrote:
> > > Speaker: Peter Ryser, Xilinx Inc
> > > Topic: Sophisticated Embedded Linux Systems based on the Virtex-II Pro FPGA
> >
> > That topic will wrap badly on both the web site and on e-mail
> > announcement 'Subject:' lines.  Can we use one of these, or a variant?
> >
> >   Embedded Linux on the Virtex-II Pro FPGA
> >   Embedded Linux on the Virtex-II Pro
> >   An FPGA for Embedded Linux
> >
> > Preferences?  (I think the last will draw the best audience.)
> >
> > Steve
> >
> > >
> > > I hope this helps.
> > >
> > > Regards,
> > > - Peter
> > >
> > >
> > > Michael Baxter wrote:
> > >
> > > > Hi Peter,
> > > >
> > > > I got this email very late Tuesday night, and did not want to speak for
> > > > you, even to name the topic. So, rather than my replying, I thought I'd
> > > > forward to you, so you could maybe handle in the morning.
> > > >
> > > > Could you answer Joyce's request?
> > > >
> > > > Best,
> > > > Michael
> > > >
> > > >   ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> > > >
> > > > Subject: Re: SVLUG speaking engagement request
> > > > Date: Tue, 25 Jun 2002 22:51:10 -0700
> > > > From: Joyce Cao Traugott <joyce at terraluna.org>
> > > > To: Steve Traugott <stevegt at terraluna.org>
> > > > CC: Michael Baxter <Michael.Baxter at xilinx.com>, Don Marti <dmarti at zgp.org>,
> > > >      speakers at svlug.org
> > > > References: <3CFE634A.450E50F4 at xilinx.com> <20020605122548.A3137 at scramjet.TerraLuna.Org>
> > > >
> > > > Hi Michael,
> > > >
> > > > Is the speaker going to be Peter Ryser himself?  If you don't have the
> > > > detailed description/bio ready, a topic would be all I need right now to
> > > > update the website.
> > > >
> > > > Thank you.
> > > >
> > > > Joyce
> > > >
> > > > Steve Traugott wrote:
> > > > >
> > > > > Absolutely.  Let's do this.  Joyce, we haven't booked October yet,
> > > > > right?
> > > > >
> > > > > All I need is a description/bio like the one attached.
> > > > >
> > > > > Steve
> > > > >
> > > > > On Wed, Jun 05, 2002 at 12:15:22PM -0700, Michael Baxter wrote:
> > > > > > Hi Steve,
> > > > > >
> > > > > > My name is Michael Baxter, and I work at Xilinx, which makes Field
> > > > > > Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) devices. I'm also a friend of Don
> > > > > > Marti's, who has managed to drag me to the masthead of Linux Journal,
> > > > > > where I make some contributions with the editorial staff. I also do some
> > > > > > collaboration on Open Source EDA tools, here in Silicon Valley.
> > > > > >
> > > > > > The reason I'm emailing you is that I'd like to request a speaking
> > > > > > engagement opportunity at the October SVLUG meeting, on behalf of my
> > > > > > Xilinx colleague Peter Ryser.
> > > > > >
> > > > > > Peter has been managing the embedded Linux software program at Xilinx,
> > > > > > for our Virtex-II Pro FPGA devices. These FPGAs are way cool,
> > > > > > incorporating a PowerPC 405 core, along with a user-programmable
> > > > > > flexible logic fabric, Multi-Gigabit Transceiver (MGT) cores, and other
> > > > > > stuff. This family of FPGAs is going to be very cool for embedded Linux
> > > > > > applications, because they allow a high-end systems to be flexibly
> > > > > > constructed according to the user's design, all on a single chip. The
> > > > > > FPGA device even allows reconfiguration after embodied in a system, such
> > > > > > as over the Internet. Peter also has worked on the software tools
> > > > > > development effort for this FPGA family.
> > > > > >
> > > > > > We'd like to show the SVLUG audience a test and development board
> > > > > > running Linux directly on the PPC in the FPGA device doing cool things.
> > > > > > I saw a demo this morning, and it was running Quake on an xterm, on a
> > > > > > color TFT LCD display. The reason for the October request is that all
> > > > > > this hardware/software is very new, and a little unstable at present,
> > > > > > plus the FPGAs are literally right off the fab line. We want to present
> > > > > > something a lot more solid, and October is a preferred date, to give us
> > > > > > the set up time needed.
> > > > > >
> > > > > > For reference, here's a relatively recent media alert on Virtex-II Pro,
> > > > > > for a CAD-related trade-show:
> > > > > > http://www.xilinx.com/prs_rls/software/0287dacmediaalert.html
> > > > > >
> > > > > > Anyway, could you let me know soon if you have the interest, and whether
> > > > > > this date works for SVLUG? If OK with you, we'll lock the date in, and
> > > > > > prepare for it. I can also have Peter generate a little abstract for you
> > > > > > ASAP, so you can do the usual pre-announce on the SVLUG web site.
> > > > > >
> > > > > > I thank-you kindly for your time.
> > > > > >
> > > > > > Best,
> > > > > > Michael Baxter
> > > > > > Sr. Systems Staff Engineer
> > > > > > APD System Engineering Group
> > > > > > Xilinx
> > > > > >
> > > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > --
> > > > > Steve Traugott
> > > > > Speaker Coordinator, Silicon Valley Linux Users Group
> > > > > http://www.svlug.org
> > > > > --
> > > > > UNIX/Linux Infrastructure Architect, TerraLuna LLC
> > > > > stevegt at TerraLuna.Org
> > > > > http://www.stevegt.com
> > > > >
> > > > >   ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> > > > >
> > > > >    0206Name: 0206
> > > > >        Type: Plain Text (text/plain)
> > >
> >
> > --
> > Steve Traugott
> > Speaker Coordinator, Silicon Valley Linux Users Group
> > http://www.svlug.org
> > --
> > UNIX/Linux Infrastructure Architect, TerraLuna LLC
> > stevegt at TerraLuna.Org
> > http://www.stevegt.com
> 

-- 
Steve Traugott 
Speaker Coordinator, Silicon Valley Linux Users Group
http://www.svlug.org
--
UNIX/Linux Infrastructure Architect, TerraLuna LLC
stevegt at TerraLuna.Org   
http://www.stevegt.com