[C++ Now! 2012] Call for Submissions

INAUGURAL C++ NOW! CONFERENCE 2012 Aspen CO, USA, May 14-18, 2012, www.cppnow.org CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS We invite you to submit session proposals to the Inaugural C++ Now! Conference: C++Now! 2012 (Aspen CO, USA, May 14 - 18, 2012). Based on the successful traditions of 5 years of BoostCon, which was the main face-to-face event for all things C++ and Boost (www.boost.org), C++Now! 2012 will present leading speakers from the whole C++ community. The conference name is changing to C++ Now! to reflect the current value of the language, the focus on its new state (from the new Standard), and the need to continually look to the future so the language remains useful to the C++ community. The focus of this conference will be the new C++11 language Standard and as usual Boost: what's new in C++, its Standard library, and in the Boost libraries, how to write and maintain them, how to evangelize or to deploy Boost within your organization. The new C++ Standard, but also the infrastructure and process of Boost, its vision and mission - no matter what you are interested in, it all comes together in the C++Now! sessions. Meet the colleagues, and feel the inspiration to support your work with C++ and Boost for the next year. The C++ Now! Conference is dedicated to discussion and education about C++, an open and free language and standard. Our Conference will focus on discussion and education about open source software usage and developments in the C++ developer and user community. To reflect the breadth of the C++ and Boost communities, the conference includes sessions aimed at three constituencies: C++ and Boost end-users, hard-core Boost library and tool developers, and researchers pushing the boundaries of computation. The program fosters interaction and engagement within and across those groups, with an emphasis on hands-on, participatory sessions. As a multi-paradigm language, C++ is a melting pot where the most compelling ideas from other programming communities are blended in powerful ways. Historically, some of the most popular sessions at C++Now! have highlighted these concepts, from DSLs to functional programming to transactional memory and more. Bring your C#, Python, Ruby or Haskell influences to bear in an environment that will broaden their exposure. IMPORTANT DATES New proposal submissions due: January 10th, 2012. Proposals decisions sent (tentative program available): February 17th, 2012. Fully scheduled program available: February 25th, 2012. Session materials due: April 15th, 2012. BEST PRESENTATION AWARDS We know how much effort it takes to prepare talks for our conference. For this reason we will award the best presentations in the following categories: Best Presentation, Best Short Presentation, Best Tutorial, and Best Workshop. The awards will be given based on the audience's voting. Each award will include the author's name listed on the cover of the C++Now! website for that year and a plaque containing all the C++Now! conference information. SESSION TOPICS Topics of interest include, but are not restricted to, the following: * C++11 and how it changes life for users and library writers * General tutorial sessions on C++11, the C++11 Standardslibrary, and one or more Boost libraries * In-depth sessions on using specific Boost libraries * Case studies on using Boost * Experts panels * Advanced sessions on implementation techniques used within Boost libraries * Development workshops to extend or enhance existing Boost libraries * Workshops on design process * Infrastructure workshops such as Build tools, Website, Testing * Concepts and Generic Programming * Hardware and infrastructure presentations focused on how libraries can make better use of the technology * Software development tools and their application to C++ and or Boost * Other topics likely to be of great interest to Boost users and developers Interactive and collaborative sessions are encouraged, as this is the style of learning and participation that has proven most successful at such events. Sessions can be tutorial based, with an emphasis on interaction and participant involvement, or workshop based, whether hands-on programming or paper-based, discussion-driven collaborative work. SESSION FORMATS Presentations Presentations focus on a practitioner's ideas and experience with anything relevant to C++11, Boost and users. Panels Panels feature three or four people presenting their ideas and experiences relating to C++11 and Boost's relevant, controversial, emerging, or unresolved issues. Panels may be conducted in several ways, such as comparative, analytic, or historic. Tutorials Tutorials are sessions at which instructors teach conference participants specific skills relevant to C++11 and Boost. Workshops Workshops provide an active arena for advancements in Boost-relevant topics. Workshops provide the opportunity for experienced practitioners to develop new ideas about a topic of common interest and experience. Author's Corner These were introduced at BoostCon 2008, and were a great Presentations success They are short (30 minute) sessions, focusing on tips on usage and design. In addition, we're looking to uncover the hidden design gems in Boost libraries. Tool Vendors We actively encourage tool vendors and ISP's to submit Presentations proposals for a special Tool Vendors Session Track aimed at products related to Boost and C++ (compilers, libraries, tools, etc.). Other formats may also be of interest. Don't hold back a proposal just because it doesn't fit into a pigeonhole. SUBMITTING A PROPOSAL Standard Sessions are 60 minutes. You may submit a proposal for fractions or multiples of 90-minutes. Fractional proposals will be grouped into 60 minute sessions covering related topics. Longer sessions, such as tutorials and classes, will be assigned 90 minute, three hour (i.e. half day), or six hour (i.e. full day) time slots. Please include: * The working title. * Type of session: presentation, panel, tutorial, workshop, authors corner, vendor track, other. * A paragraph or two describing the topic covered, suitable for the conference web site. * Proposed length: 10-20 minute short talks, 45 minutes, 90 minutes, half day, full day. * Alternate lengths, if you are willing to make adjustments: 10- 20 minute short-talks, 45 minutes, 90 minutes, half-day, full day. * Audience: users, developers, both. * Level: basic, intermediate, advanced. * A biography, suitable for the conference web site. * Your contact information (will not be made public). SUBMISSION DETAILS All submissions should be made through the EasyChair conference management system: http://www.easychair.org/conferences/?conf=cppnow2012. If you have not already registered at EasyChair, you will need to do so in order to submit your proposal. All submissions will go through a peer review process. Authors are invited (but are not required) to submit PDF versions of full papers of up to 10 pages in ACM conference proceedings format (see http://www.acm.org/sigs/publications/proceedings-templates). The full papers are not required unless you want them published in the proceedings. All accepted proposals will be made available in the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) Digital Library (approval pending). Best papers, after further reviews, will be considered to be book chapters or journal articles in a renowned journal. The session materials go on the C++Now! website and will be available to attendees. For general information on the C++Now! 2012 paper submission or the scope of technical papers solicited, please refer to the conference website at www.cppnow.org. For any other questions about the submission process or paper format, please contact the Program Committee at cppnow2012@easychair.com. If you have any technical problems with EasyChair, please contact EasyChair for help. Note: Presenters must agree to grant a non-exclusive perpetual license to publish submitted materials, either electronically or in print, in any media related to C++ Now!. Hartmut Kaiser, email: hartmut.kaiser@gmail.com (Program Committee Chair) Dave Abrahams, email: dave@boostpro.com (Conference Chair) On behalf of the conference organizers

On Sun, Oct 30, 2011 at 10:26 AM, Hartmut Kaiser
INAUGURAL C++ NOW! CONFERENCE 2012 Aspen CO, USA, May 14-18, 2012, www.cppnow.org
SESSION FORMATS
Workshops Workshops provide an active arena for advancements in Boost-relevant topics. Workshops provide the opportunity for experienced practitioners to develop new ideas about a topic of common interest and experience.
I'd like to request a workshop around the long-debated Boost.Process library. Boris, any chance you'd be able to attend and moderate that session? Correct me if I'm wrong, but my impression of current library status is that Boris brought forward a proposal -- which generated a round of controversy -- which ended in more or less a stalemate. At my workplace, when e-mail discussion starts meandering, we get everybody in a room, thrash it out and abide by the results of that meeting. In effect, those sufficiently invested in the problem to show up in person get to outvote those who don't. I have opinions of my own, of course -- but more than anything, I'd like a portable Process library, perfect or flawed, to officially become part of Boost. I'm proposing that the upcoming "C++ Now!" conference include an intensive track to get that library moving forward again. It boggles my mind that even after 25 years, there is still no standard, portable C++ library to run a child process.

On Mon, 31 Oct 2011 17:24:28 +0100, Nat Linden
On Sun, Oct 30, 2011 at 10:26 AM, Hartmut Kaiser
wrote: INAUGURAL C++ NOW! CONFERENCE 2012 Aspen CO, USA, May 14-18, 2012, www.cppnow.org
SESSION FORMATS
Workshops Workshops provide an active arena for advancements in Boost-relevant topics. Workshops provide the opportunity for experienced practitioners to develop new ideas about a topic of common interest and experience.
I'd like to request a workshop around the long-debated Boost.Process library. Boris, any chance you'd be able to attend and moderate that session?
I'll definitely try to be there again! (Sorry, didn't see your mail earlier.)
Correct me if I'm wrong, but my impression of current library status is that Boris brought forward a proposal -- which generated a round of controversy -- which ended in more or less a stalemate.
We left BoostCon 2011 with the goal of creating another Boost.Process draft based on Jeff Flinn's ideas. The draft can be found online at https://github.com/JeffFlinn/boost-process. You don't really need to click on this link though as there haven't been any changes since June. :) I'm familiar with Jeff's proposal but didn't contribute yet anything to https://github.com/JeffFlinn/boost-process. I worked on https://github.com/BorisSchaeling/asio to add an asio::windows::object_handle class to Boost.Asio. The code is done but hasn't been merged yet to the Asio branch (just sent an email to Chris again to see whether he can review my code and maybe accept my contribution). This I/O object can be used for all kind of object handles - including process handles. As Boost.Asio ships already an I/O object for signals, it will be possible then to wait asynchronously for processes based on platform-specific concepts developers are familiar with and feel natural to use on Unix and Windows. After finishing this Boost.Asio extension, I didn't return yet to Boost.Process as I have been busy with my Boost book. I don't think I can concentrate on Boost.Process this year anymore as I'm still working on the book adding and introducing more and more libraries. As it's some time until May and I never gave up finishing Boost.Process after all those years ;), it's maybe a good idea to work on the library from January on. If I do another Boost.Process session in May, I don't really want to repeat what Jeff and I presented last year. :) As the submission deadline is in January, I should make up my mind before that. But it's not too difficult as I should really do something with Boost.Process again ... Boris
[...]

On Wed, Nov 9, 2011 at 6:37 PM, Boris Schaeling
On Mon, 31 Oct 2011 17:24:28 +0100, Nat Linden
wrote:
On Sun, Oct 30, 2011 at 10:26 AM, Hartmut Kaiser
wrote:
INAUGURAL C++ NOW! CONFERENCE 2012 Aspen CO, USA, May 14-18, 2012, www.cppnow.org
SESSION FORMATS
Workshops Workshops provide an active arena for advancements in Boost-relevant topics. Workshops provide the opportunity for experienced practitioners to develop new ideas about a topic of common interest and experience.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but my impression of current library status is that Boris brought forward a proposal -- which generated a round of controversy -- which ended in more or less a stalemate.
We left BoostCon 2011 with the goal of creating another Boost.Process draft based on Jeff Flinn's ideas. The draft can be found online at https://github.com/JeffFlinn/boost-process. You don't really need to click on this link though as there haven't been any changes since June. :)
Ah. Well, let me generalize my request: whatever the current state of Boost.Process, I'd really like for us to collectively take the opportunity of C++ Now to push it further forward.
I worked on https://github.com/BorisSchaeling/asio to add an asio::windows::object_handle class to Boost.Asio. This I/O object can be used for all kind of object handles - including process handles. As Boost.Asio ships already an I/O object for signals, it will be possible then to wait asynchronously for processes based on platform-specific concepts developers are familiar with and feel natural to use on Unix and Windows.
Hmm, okay. That isn't specifically interesting to me. Full disclosure: I want Boost.Process to provide a portable way to run a child process, both synchronously and asynchronously. (I personally would be content with a conceptual model resembling that of Python's subprocess API.) That is, to me, one of the primary benefits Boost can contribute in this space. Those who need platform-specific process-control features can (and do) use the platform-specific API. That support exists already. What's missing is a portable wrapper layer. However -- that said -- if folding in asio::windows::object_handle allows others to come to consensus and SHIP THIS LIBRARY then I'm all for it.
As it's some time until May and I never gave up finishing Boost.Process after all those years ;), it's maybe a good idea to work on the library from January on. If I do another Boost.Process session in May, I don't really want to repeat what Jeff and I presented last year. :) As the submission deadline is in January, I should make up my mind before that. But it's not too difficult as I should really do something with Boost.Process again ...
Whatever work you can put into evolving Boost.Process between January and May will be wonderful. But that's not even what I'm requesting. What I'd really like from you this May isn't so much a presentation, but rather chairing a working session to nail down any unresolved/controversial issues. I would be thrilled if, at the close of this inaugural C++ Now! conference, all that remained unfinished with Boost.Process was the implementation. I'd want us to emerge with a solid API ready for the Boost review process, as soon as the implementation is done. My hope is that thrashing out any remaining controversies face-to-face at the conference would clear the way for the email review. My hope is that building consensus at the conference would minimize surprising/dismaying setbacks during the review itself.

On Thu, 10 Nov 2011 16:12:34 +0100, Nat Linden
[...]Hmm, okay. That isn't specifically interesting to me. Full disclosure: I want Boost.Process to provide a portable way to run a child process, both synchronously and asynchronously. (I personally would be content with a conceptual model resembling that of Python's subprocess API.) That is, to me, one of the primary benefits Boost can contribute in this space. Those who need platform-specific process-control features can (and do) use the platform-specific API. That support exists already. What's missing is a portable wrapper layer.
If I try to explain the problem we had in the past in a few sentences: Boost.Process has to be somewhere between the two extremes std::system() and a platform-specific API. No matter what Boost.Process is closer to - people will complain. The solution seems to be to focus more on extensibility. That's what Jeff Flinn proposed with what he calls executor concept. I'm not sure where to point you to though if you want to read more about it (there were quite a lot of discussions in the devel mailing list in spring).
However -- that said -- if folding in asio::windows::object_handle allows others to come to consensus and SHIP THIS LIBRARY then I'm all for it.
The Boost.Process draft 0.4 was criticized for how it supported waiting for processes asynchronously. The object_handle is now a much better solution which I expect will be shipped with Boost.Asio (depends on Chris; he knows about the extension though and reviewed an early implementation a few months ago). This problem should then be gone. :)
[...]Whatever work you can put into evolving Boost.Process between January and May will be wonderful. But that's not even what I'm requesting. What I'd really like from you this May isn't so much a presentation, but rather chairing a working session to nail down any unresolved/controversial issues. I would be thrilled if, at the close of this inaugural C++ Now! conference, all that remained unfinished with Boost.Process was the implementation. I'd want us to emerge with a solid API ready for the Boost review process, as soon as the implementation is done.
I think that's we did at BoostCon 2011. With Jeff's executor concept we have an idea lots of people agreed with to give it another try. We wanted to work on the code after BoostCon 2011 but didn't do much (at least not at https://github.com/JeffFlinn/boost-process; I managed to create the object_handle at least). So I think it's definitely a good idea to do a session on Boost.Process again. But I also think we (or I :) should work on Boost.Process code before May to be able to present something new. :) Boris

On Thu, Nov 10, 2011 at 2:52 PM, Boris Schaeling
The solution seems to be to focus more on extensibility. That's what Jeff Flinn proposed with what he calls executor concept. I'm not sure where to point you to though if you want to read more about it (there were quite a lot of discussions in the devel mailing list in spring).
Hmm... so one way for an interested party to contribute would be to research and compile documentation.
[...]Whatever work you can put into evolving Boost.Process between January and May will be wonderful. But that's not even what I'm requesting. What I'd really like from you this May isn't so much a presentation, but rather chairing a working session to nail down any unresolved/controversial issues. I would be thrilled if, at the close of this inaugural C++ Now! conference, all that remained unfinished with Boost.Process was the implementation. I'd want us to emerge with a solid API ready for the Boost review process, as soon as the implementation is done.
I think that's we did at BoostCon 2011. With Jeff's executor concept we have an idea lots of people agreed with to give it another try. We wanted to work on the code after BoostCon 2011 but didn't do much (at least not at https://github.com/JeffFlinn/boost-process; I managed to create the object_handle at least). So I think it's definitely a good idea to do a session on Boost.Process again. But I also think we (or I :) should work on Boost.Process code before May to be able to present something new. :)
Thanks for the update! Sounds like this is in much better shape than I'd feared (as I haven't been following the developer's list). Maybe a useful early task would be to try to partition the implementation roadmap so you could dole out pieces to interested parties?
participants (3)
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Boris Schaeling
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Hartmut Kaiser
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Nat Linden