Detailed Information

Mature engineering disciplines have handbooks describing solutions to known problems. Bridge designers don't design bridges using the laws of physics, they adapt solutions from the handbook known to work well enough.

Patterns can be the basis for a handbook of software engineering. They embody core solutions to problems known to arise while building systems. A complete pattern language would guide developers to produce workable software solving ordinary problems.

The PLoP^™ Conference Series

EuroPLoP^™ is the European member of the PLoP^™ conference series. The PLoP^™ conferences invite you to add your expertise to the growing body of patterns. Other conferences in the PLoP^™ series include (US) PLoP^™, ChilliPLoP^™, and KoalaPLoP^™.

These conferences follow a different format than conferences such as OOPSLA. The focus here is on learning, discussion, and reflection, not on the presentation of finished work. At a PLoP^™ series conference, attendees review each others material and help each other refine their work, run workshops and engage in fruitful discussions.

EuroPLoP^™ offers a variety of workshops that allow you to learn about patterns, to receive feedback on your own patterns, and to discuss patterns with fellow pattern enthusiasts. We have been running most of these workshops for many years at previous EuroPLoP^™ conferences; the design fest and a special beginners' session, however, will be new to the conference in the year 2001.

Writers' Workshops

Writers' workshops are at the core of the EuroPLoP^™ program. In these workshops we discuss accepted pattern papers. Pattern papers may consist of an individual pattern or of a pattern language.

Writers' workshops follow a special format which has been adopted from reviewing poetry. Before the conference, everybody reads each other's papers. In the actual workshop, authors give each other feedback on their work in a peer review fashion. Each writers' workshop contains 5 to 8 papers; a session of about 1 1/2 hours is devoted to each paper. In such a session, the authors of the paper under discussion remain silent while the other authors have a discussion about it, and explain what additional insights and views they have. Authors (as well as non-authors who may join) stay with their workshop over the entire conference. This way authors get a lot of ideas on how they can improve their work.

Before pattern papers are accepted for a writers' workshop, they are shepherded (non-anonymously). This means that if you submit a pattern paper, an experienced pattern author will get in touch with you and discuss your submission with you, so that you can improve your paper prior to the conference. At the end of the shepherding process, the shepherd and the program committee decide whether a paper is ready for a writers' workshop; experience shows that most submitted papers will.

Because the focus of the writers' workshops is on feedback and improvement, papers are not considered final once they have been workshopped. Authors incorporate the feedback they receive at the writers' workshop into their papers before the papers go into the final proceedings about half a year after the conference.

All aspects of software systems are suitable topics for submitted patterns or pattern languages. We invite patterns on programming, software design, project management, education, and so on. Submissions from areas which have not much been covered by patterns so far are particularly solicited. The actual subject of a pattern need not be original; it is essential that a pattern describes mature knowledge. However, patterns should always reference related work, that is related patterns as well as related non-pattern material.

Non-authors who join a writer's worshop are asked to stick to one writer's group and are supposed to read all the papers discussed in the group in advance, too.

Writing Groups

Pattern writing groups (formerly called the pattern writing workshop) offer the chance for pattern authors to work on the form and the content of their patterns in an interactive session. In this session an experienced author acts as a mentor and is available for questions the author may have, for ideas and discussions.

We will have two different writing goups.

One writing group is meant for papers that aren't ready yet for a writers' workshop with its strict format. Papers can be assigned to this writing group if, at the end of the shepherding process, the shepherd and the program committee feel that the author would profit more from an interactive session than from a writers' workshop.

The other writing group is meant for new authors who don't want to submit a regular pattern paper, but who would like to take a first step at writing patterns. You can register for this writing group a couple of weeks before the conference. If you wish to participate, you should send us the rudimentary pattern material that you wish to work on along with your registration.

Focus Groups

Focus groups are free-format discussion groups. They don't normally deal with a specific pattern or pattern language, but bring up issues such as using patterns, organising patterns, experiences with patterns, etc. Unlike writers' workshops, focus groups don't follow a particular format. They normally consist of two intensive, collaborative sessions, which take place on two different days of the conference and last about 2 hours each. Focus groups bring together people who are interested in a challenging topic related to patterns.

After the conference, the focus group leader summarizes the results in form of a short focus group report which will go into the final conference proceedings.

We plan to have 3 or 4 focus groups at the conference. Potential focus group leaders are invited to submit focus group proposals. There's a great diversity as far as suitable topics for focus groups are concerned. Possible topics include but are not restricted to experiences with patterns, patterns in research, and much more. Interdisciplinary topics are particularly welcome since they help us learn from other domains. These domains range from less obvious areas of computing, such as artificial intelligence, to other areas of science, such as building architecture, mechanical engineering, music, or film making.

Focus group proposals will be reviewed by the program committee. The accepted focus groups will be announced two to three months before the conference. Most focus groups allow conference attendees to simply join at the conference; however, focus group leaders are free to ask participants to register in advance and to do some kind of preparation.

Design Fest

There will be a design fest for the first time in the history of EuroPLoP^™. The purpose of a design fest is for a group of people to join forces on a concrete design activity. The design fest at EuroPLoP^™ will of course be related to patterns and pattern languages.

Conference attendees can participate in such a group in different roles: those who proposed the design fest typically act as domain experts, someone else will be the moderator, someone else yet will write some kind of protocol, and several people will act as the actual designers. After the conference the design process will be summarized in a design fest report, typically authored by those who proposed the design fest and the peron who wrote the protocol, and maybe a few others. The design fest report will also go into the final conference proceedings.

We plan to have one or two half-day design fests. There are two kinds of design fest that we can think of.

First, you can propose a design task, in the sense of doing a software design, which the participants will set up using patterns.

Second, you can propose the design of a pattern language, which means that you'll provide some material to start with, perhaps a few individual patterns, that the participants will try to shape into a pattern language.

All design fest proposals will be reviewed by the program committee. The accepted design fest(s) will be announced two to three months before the conference. People who are interested in participating in the design fest must contact the design fest leader and apply for a specific role.

Beginners' Session

The beginners' session is a short session aimed at people who are new to EuroPLoP^™. This session will take place at the beginning of the conference and will be lead by some pattern experts.

In this session you learn about patterns in general, you get an overview of what patterns exist, you learn how patterns can improve your software, and you get exposed to the idea of pattern languages. This session also tells you about EuroPLoP^™, its traditions and rituals, and is a chance to get in touch with many EuroPLoP^™ people very quickly.

Right Brain Activities

One of the unique features of the PLoP^™ series of conferences is the emphasis we place on non-technical, right-brain activities. We try to create an environment that excercises the parts of the mind and body that have nothing at all to do with developing software but have a lot to do with finding and writing patterns (whether they are software patterns or any other kind). These other activities include:

Games. Morning and Afternoon Games (every day). Lead by our 'Querdenker-Koordinator', George Platts, these non-competative games are one of the highlights of EuroPLoP^™. Many new friendships have been founded whilst untying human knots or making a 5m high 'mushroom'!

Art Studio. Also hosted by George, the art studio is opened thoughout most of the day. Many different materials are available for anyone to go and relax, to be creative, and to listen to music.

BOF Sessions

'Birds of a Feather' sessions are spontaneous events, organized on site. Every attendant may call for a BOF session. Contents and format of a BOF session is up to the group joining the session. Please contact the conference chairs during the conference (or before hand if you wish) to start a BOF session.

Special Sessions

Welcome session. This is the first session of the conference. There will also be a demo writers' workshop, we will outline the other session activites, and everyone gets a chance to meet each other. Please read Alan O'Callaghan's paper Three Patterns from the ADAPTOR Pattern Language. It will be discussed in the demo writers' workshop.

Daily summary. A final session at the end of each day that gives everyone a chance to find out what went on in the sessions they couldn't attend plus any other news.

Farewell Session. Lead by George Platts, this session is the traditional show-down of the conference. Get latest information about publication and other hot topics - and don't miss the opportunity to say farewell to all the friends you have made or met.

Important Dates

The following table explains the important dates for active contributions to the conference. Please also take a look at the submission guidelines.

Date	Conference	Pattern Papers	Writing Group	Focus Groups	Design Fest
February 25		papers due		focus group proposals due	design fest proposals due
March 12		shepherding starts
March 26				notification of acceptance or rejection for focus group proposals	notification of acceptance or rejection for design fest proposals
April 02				registration for focus groups opens (focus groups that require registration only)	application for design fest participation opens
May 07	conference registration opens	notification of acceptance or rejection		notification of acceptance or rejection for focus group participants (focus groups that require registration only)	notification of acceptance or rejection for design fest participants
June 03		shepherding ends
June 10		conference drafts due	registration (unshepherded papers only)
July 01	conference registration closes
July 04 - July 08	conference
late 2001		final versions due		focus group reports due	design fest reports due