<div dir="ltr"><br><div class="gmail_extra"><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Sat, May 23, 2015 at 5:36 AM, Alfonso Ali <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:alfonso.ali@gmail.com" target="_blank">alfonso.ali@gmail.com</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex"><div dir="ltr">Hello everyone,<div><br></div><div>My name is Alfonso Ali, i'm a system administrator of the national health network (Infomed). I've been working, teaching and developing with python for more than 10 years.</div><div><br></div><div>I have strong ties to the local free software community and several pythonistas, so, i can help spreading the news about this group.<br></div><div><br></div><div>I'll like to know about the objectives for this group. Is it a space for everyone working with python in Cuba to debate and share, a coordinating group for python related activities in Cuba or something else?<br></div></div></blockquote><div><br></div><div>Hello Ali --<br><br></div><div>Thank you for joining this listserv!<br></div><div><br></div><div>Kirby here, also long time Python user, teaching it full time for O'Reilly School of Technology, part of the O'Reilly publishing company that produces the Open Source Convention (OSCON) every year. <br><br>From that event, and Pycon, I know many Pythonistas, plus I attend and helped organize (many years ago by now) the Portland User Group.<br><br></div><div>Some recent history: on April 1, which I call Misinformation Day but which is really known as April Fools Day, the Python Software Foundation blogged its annual / ritual / traditional "joke post". This year, the joke was how the next Pycon after Portland in 2016/ 2017 would be in Cuba.<br><br></div><div>As often happens, people forget its April 1 and fall for the joke, then remember. In this case, many were happily surprised by the news and disappointed to realize the post was a joke. They really wanted a Pycon in Cuba, sounded fun and cool.<br><br>Then board member David Mertz, who was a co-author of the post, really wanted to encourage thinking in that direction, i.e. he was only half joking. His intent was to spark more discussion and outreach, which in fact has now occurred.<br><br></div><div>A lot of us who realized we truly hoped for more Python events in Cuba (which some of us might be able to attend) banded together in the aftermath of that post and because we want a Pycon in Cuba for real.<br><br></div><div>What's important to realize is that a "Pycon" (short for Python Conference or Python Convention) may happen in parallel with other Pycons i.e. at any given time we could have ten or more Pycons happening around the world. <br><br>India and Australia have Pycons and so on, ditto Ukraine and many more. <br><br>So having one in Cuba is not contingent on getting in line behind a long list of eager hosts. It's not like the Olympics in that sense. <br><br>Cuba does not have to wait for Portland to have its two. <br><br>A Pycon in Cuba next September or whatever would not "conflict" with other Pycons.<br><br></div><div>But then we may not have consensus that we even want to use the word "Pycon". That caused some confusion in Brazil. PyCuba or a PyDay in Cuba have both been suggested. In the US we have PyOhio. <br><br>Then of course there's EuroPython, which predates Pycon is sounds more geographically tied.<br><br></div><div>The Python Software Foundation (PSF), a nonprofit based in the US state of Delaware, produces one of the biggest Pycons annually as apart of its job description. It produced the Pycon in Montreal Canada this year and is producing the next two in Portland, my home town.<br><br>It also works to spread knowledge of Python and to provide ways for Pythonistas to show off their tribal membership (as Pythonistas) in the form of "swag" (merchandise) with the Python logo on it. <br><br>So it's logical to involve the PSF in the planning for Python events in Cuba, even though Python itself freely propagates with or without PSF "permission" (the Python.org Python distros set a standard). <br><br>PSF manages the Python.org domain (where we are now, in this emerging Workgroup, like a Special Interest Group but with more PSF resources behind it, potentially).<br></div><div><br></div><div>My role with PSF is simply that I post to its listservs within Python.org quite a bit (edu-sig) in particular and I am a voting member meaning I'm one of those who e-votes on who gets to be on the PSF board. <br><br>This level of participation is sufficient to allow me to follow a lot of what goes on, but I am not now nor have I ever been a PSF board member myself.<br><br></div><div>I hope all this answers some of your questions. I think it's useful review for all of us and I am expecting others will have perspectives to add.<br><br></div><div>I don't think this working group actually needs to be very large as we're simply hoping to catalyze events on the ground, which in turn could involve many more people. <br><br>If Pycons in Cuba (or PyCuba Days) become a normal phenomenon, this group would no longer need to exist, as our main goal would have been accomplished. Pythonistas in Cuba have access to all same listserv and wiki infrastructure within Python.org as Pythonistas anywhere so we're able to work together through multiple channels already I would suggest.<br><br></div><div>Kirby Urner<br><br></div><div><br><br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex"><div dir="ltr"><div></div><div><br></div><div>In any case i'll like to know what should we do next, bring all the people in Cuba interested in python to this group? coordinate some activity? etc.</div><div><br></div><div>Best regards,</div><div> Ali</div><div><br></div><div><br></div></div>
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