I was taking part of PLNOG for the last two days. i didn’t have opportunity to take part of the last edition and it’s a shame - we created this conference with Andrzej Targosz.
a lot changed during last couple of years. but what was always key of the whole PLNOG - community - is only developing. i’m not about the direction, but the sole fact we have a lot of discussions about direction gives hope.
i have two observations after this edition - as i was able not only to watch couple of sessions, but also chat with some of you.
first of all - SDN. everybody talks about SDN. even if they don’t have clarity what they actually want to convey - SDN has to be part of presentation (well, i couldn’t stop myself for doing this as well).
from the perspective of last fourteen editions you can easily see how we evolved, and to what extent SDN influenced that evolution. what’s next? we’ll see. i see both pros and cons.
next important thing - please do ask questions. be curious. during the presentation (if speaker can handle that), after it, in the corridors. ask questions and you’ll get answers - good question can inspire speaker to search further if needed. it may be funny, but during my own presentations i usually find at least one or two moments when i ask myself a question ‘but why?’ or ‘yeah, but how it really does work?’. during preparations you don’t always have time or think through all aspects of topics covered. asking good question will help even weak speaker. and not only that - it can spark interesting discussion. our abroad speakers typically ask why they don’t get questions during the session - and if, they are asked after the session. don’t be shy. one of the reasons we’re doing PLNOG is to give you opportunity to ask questions and share knowledge.
we’re preparing some improvements for PLNOG #15. you can’t rest on laurels, right? which, by the way, means i need to recertify soon :)
and, one last thing - my presentation about BGP new features is traditionally here.