Matthew Rosewarne on 16 Jul 2007 20:29:53 -0000


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Re: [PLUG] aKademy 2008, The Philadelphia Konvention?


On Sunday 15 July 2007, John Von Essen wrote:
> Last I checked, all you need to enter the US with is a foreign
> passport. As long as you are not coming from North Korea, Iran, or
> Libya - I don't see what the hassle is. The US is one of the easiest
> countries to gain legal (and illegal) entrance to - try getting into
> Australia or Brazil with nothing but a US passport and see how far
> you get!
>
> If the majority of KDE people are in Europe, the travel cost will
> kill it - though if they did a US event - east coast will be prime
> and philly would be ideal - cost wise.

Bear in mind that the KDE release announcement will take place at Google in 
California, so going to the US is clearly not a deal-breaker.

While there is an underlying attitude of timidity towards the US across most 
of Europe (and reasonably so...), it's unusual to find someone truly 
obstinate.  Sure, perhaps some convincing will be in order, but I would say 
that's a relatively minor bump in the road.

As for legal issues, getting a US visa really isn't too big a deal.  Sure, you 
might need to go to an embassy and probably stand in a line.  Yes, you would 
not have to do this when travelling between two EU countries.  The State 
Dept. has done a great deal of reworking the system, and much of the process 
can be done online.  With some help from the local team working with the 
consulate in Philly, this really won't be any real impediment.

As for cost, this is one of the best reasons for holding it in Philly.  Seeing 
as the dollar will almost certainly continue its downward slide, every Euro 
or Pound spent by the e.V. or the attendees will go much further than it 
would in Europe.  True, there's a longer plane ride, but the other reduced 
expenses of the trip will offset much of the cost.  Philadelphia is also 
right on the East coast, so it's still not too great a journey for a 
European.

And also important is the mission of KDE as a project.  KDE is an 
international project with contributors from all corners of the globe* (still 
working on Antarctica) and while many of them are indeed European, the 
project strives to create software that is useful for everyone (even 
Americans).  This is a major opportunity for KDE to further the dream of 
total world domination!

* or the Marble...

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