Workshop Category Ideas

We wish to present registrants with a choice of types of workshop we might run. Here's the proposed list, please add to it:

Media Applications
System Administration
Encryption
Privacy
Version Control
Greener Tech / Energy Descent

Workshop Ideas

Example Entry

Proposed by: Exampley Mc Exampleface
Time: 3-4 years
Level: Some experience of using a wiki required
Resources: Laptop and 10 mice, USB hub (10 port)
Number: up to 10 people all huddled round a laptop and USB hub with 10 mice in it

You will learn how to make generic fictional entries into wiki pages, demostrating the format of the page expected, together with some humour. You will also use bullet points to:

show how bullet points are used in Mediawiki
add some much needed recursive self reference
make friends

You'll then finish off your description with how exciting workshop will be, or with an uncomfortable orphan sentence type paragraph.

This is the end of the example.

Coding

Life's a Git, and then you use it

Proposed by: adelayde
Time: 45 mins (talk/demo) to 2 hours (interactive workshop)
Level: experience of using the Linux, Windows or OS X command line.
Resources: projector, laptop, people can bring their own laptops (or use BW laptop suite if it still exists).

How to use Git in essence. How to keep it simple.

what Git is and what uses can it be put to
how does it work (branches, commits and repositories)
how to set one up for your file system
how to add files and commit them
how to delete files and commit them
how to roll-back and move the HEAD about
how to clone a repository
what GitHub is and how to set up a remote bare bones master repository
how to push and pull
what to do when you get in a mess

Keeping your code clean

Proposed by: adelayde
Time: 3-4 hours
Level: experience of programming at a intermediate to advanced level, or beginners who are keen to get into coding.
Resources: projector, sound, laptop (have one), this may be suitable for active workshop in the second part.
Number: up to 30 with people working in pairs or mobs for Part II

Part I (talk/discussion): No matter if you're new to coding, or a seasoned coder, applying the principals of Clean Code can help you maintain and understand your own code, especially when you come back to it six months later. Applying Clean Code principals to code makes modularisation and reusability easier, aids other programmers who may want to work on your code, aids with self-documentation, and sets the foundation for adopting test driven development. In the workshop we'll address how:

small is beautiful
simple is best
comments suck
reusability is king
code should be crafted not thrown at the screen
readability trumps cleverness and complexity

Part II (practical workshop): But what about that horrible code you're having to work on that somebody else, or even you, wrote? We'll also have a look at how to tackle nasty, unreadable, spaghetti, untestable legacy code; how we can gradually improve it in small, iterative steps; and ultimately how we can get it into shape, rather than just throwing our arms in the air and re-coding the whole lot. We'll cover:

identifying ways in to legacy code
performing minuscule iterative improvements
how we can use test driven development to make this process safer.

Programming language: undecided but will try to cover a number of different ones in the examples, and for the practical will look at something everyone can get up and running, hopefully in a web browser, but popular, such as Python, Ruby or JavaScript.

System Administration

Introduction to CiviCRM

Proposed by: Cassidy McGurk
Time: 1 to 2 hours
Level: No experience necessary
Resources: Projector, fast laptop, internet access for attendees
Number: up to 15?

CiviCRM is an Open Source project to produce better than commercial CRM for campaigns and not-for-profit organisations | More on CiviCRM

Basic introduction for newbies with hands-on examples of basic administration tasks

Communities Skill Swap

Proposed by: Cassidy McGurk
Time: 2 hours
Level: None
Resources: None
Number

Many barn campers are active members of different community-based projects, whether that is an Open Source project on the net or a local tech collective or a housing co-op. I'd like to lead an open discussion on what our project's structures, processes, successes and failures can learn from each other

Media Applications

GIMP 2.10 prospective new features demo

Proposed by: Ben Green
Time: 0.5 to 1 hour depending on takers.
Level: No experience of gimp necessary.
Resources: Projector, fast laptop.
Number: any number of people

GIMP has come a long way since 2.8, but hardly anyone has seem the results. The hugely long development cycle leaves us punters mostly in the dark. This talk seeks to inspire GIMP users, and potential GIMP users about what's happened, why, and the implications artists, developers, and for the nature of the universe.

Scribus

Proposed by: Ben Green
Time: 2 hours
Level: No experience of Scribus needed.
Resources: Projector, fast laptop.
Number: Max 10 or so

Scribus is one of the best publishing packages available. I'll show you how to use it to get documents together quickly. We'll be using the latest 1.5 development release.

Each person will need a copy installed, I'll post details, it's an easy package to install as there are Windows builds and an AppImage for Linux.

Command Line Guru Conversion Course Parts 1 and 2

Proposed by: Ben Green
Time: .5 - 2 hours
Level: No experience needed
Resources: Some computer of some sort
Number: up to 20

Taking beginner and intermediate users through command line use of a linux computer. For those with windows, we'll take you through first connecting to a linux computer. Part 2 will be for those who's thirst for knowledge was not sated by Part 1.

Greener Tech / Energy Descent

(Still) re-using computers in our communities

Proposed by: MaRk
Time: 1 - 2 hours depending on number of people
Level: Some experience of keeping old computers in use
Resources: Nothing special
Number: up to 20

At the last BarnCamp, we had a discussion about personal computer re-use, and how this could be linked to community education and different kinds of organisation/business. Many BarnCampers are involved with these kind of activities. Let's catch up with how we've been developing our re-use practices, take stock of current challenges and resources available, and talk about how we can support each other as a network of practitioners.

Practical activities

activism

Proposed by: xyz
Time: .5 - 2 hours
Level: No experience needed
Resources: a modicum of enthusiasm
Number: up to 20

how to make a difference. Discussions on applying tech skills to aiding activism. How to get involved. How to explore and expand interests. Current topics of interest. Where are efforts best aimed?

BarnCamp 2017 workshop proposals

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