The project

[plug-devel@lists.PLUG.phoenix.az.us]

I like the name Pensive :)
1) Refrance to the HP series in which it is a magicle devise used to store
your thoughts
2) It defines how I feel when I can no longer keep all this project infor in
my head!

As for designer and test I am in all the way...  And I may be able to do some
coding latter, but for now I have no time. (Due to the many projects/event I
am dealing with)

On Thu, 24 Feb 2005, Joseph Sinclair wrote:

> A few comments below:
> 
> Trent Shipley wrote:
> 
> > <SNIP>
> >
> >>- Event planners currently are a small, niche industry.
> >>    
> >>
> >
> >Joseph brought that up.  I'm not certain I believe it.  Weddings are a type of 
> >event, therefore wedding planners must need event planning software.  Every 
> >arena and civic center needs an event planner.  Every funeral home needs an 
> >event planner and so on.  If there is an event, some agent has to plan it.  
> >(Unless it is a "happening" which is a minimally planned event.)
> >  
> >
> Event planning does happen a lot, however, the market, from a software 
> perspective, is definitely "niche".
> There are fewer than 5,000 people who do event planning as a sole 
> occupation (according to DOL stats)
> in the US, and as such, any software developed commercially would expect 
> to charge close to 1% of total
> development costs on a per-copy basis to break even.  The general 
> nebulousness of the market also
> argues against a commercial application, hence nobody seems to have 
> taken the risk to create such
> software.  The description of the market as "niche" is not intended to 
> reduce the value of doing a project
> in this space, but to show the value of having an open-source project in 
> this space.
> 
> (Note, for reference a commercial  "mass-market" application usually 
> plans to charge less
>        than .0001% per copy)
> 
> > <SNIP>
> >
> >The product was OpenConf.
> >See http://www.zakongroup.com/technology/openconf.shtml
> >
> >At the end of the meeting the InstallFest folks had not determined whether 
> >OpenConf would suit their needs.  My recollection was that they thought it 
> >might well do so since the license was compatible with their immediate needs 
> >(they would not use OpenConf commercially).  I further understood that IF 
> >InstallFest opted to use OpenConf (or another existing product) we would 
> >scrub the event planning project proposal to look for a customer whose need 
> >could not be satisfied by shopping.
> >  
> >
> We investigated OpenConf, and my perspective is that it has nothing of 
> value to an installfest type
> event, and really provides little more than assistance managing the 
> process of submission, review,
> and selection of papers for a technical conference.  At this point, 
> barring anyone else finding a
> competing open-source project, the idea of a generalized event planning 
> system seems to
> be a good fit for the group.
> I still intend to follow a lightweight, open, highly iterative 
> development model.
> At the moment, I'm planning to mention a bit more about it at the next 
> devel meeting and on
> the list shortly thereafter, and try to get a couple people who are 
> willing to participate in a core team.
> Once a few people have agreed to commit some time and effort to the 
> project (needn't be coders,
> need a system admin, user/tester, etc... as well), we'll decide a name, 
> set up the project, and lay out
> an initial development plan.  From there, it depends on the plan we work 
> out.
> 
> > <SNIP>
> 
> 
>