(Mon Jun 26, 2006) [/Rails] #
I can't recall the last time I had as much fun as I've had in the last
four days. RailsConf was simply
brilliant! It was chock full of great technical content, but for me
it was all about the people. I read their blogs, see their names on
code, or chat with them online, but nothing compares to meeting them
in person and sharing the experience of a first-ever conference.
The Rails community is incredibly vibrant and friendly. It's a
contagious mix of the open-kimono culture of the Ruby community and
the entrepreneurial spirit of the Rails ecosystem. People are
genuinely excited to tell you and show you what they're doing, and
they're equally interested in helping you and learning from what
you're doing. The 5-minute lightening talks and app demos were a
prime example: every time slot was filled and there was some very cool
stuff going on. And the regular sessions were bar none some of the
best technical content I've seen at a conference. I'm honored to have
attended.
Dave took some outstanding pictures that really
capture the spirit of RailsConf. Hope to see you in Portland next
year!
(Mon Jun 26, 2006) [/Rails] #
RailsConf in Chicago on June
22-25 is shaping up as the place to be this summer. For
folks who already know their way around the Rails landscape, it's a
chance to finally meet in person and exchange tips and tricks. It's
also an opportunity for new folks to come up to speed on Rails and get
plugged into the community. To get the most out of the experience,
you'll first want to get a lay of the land and learn the local dialect
so you can hang out with both the tribal elders and the kool kids. We think we have something
that will help.
Dave Thomas and I are offering a one-day Rails Guidebook before
the conference. We'll teach you how to write Ruby code, help you get
Rails up and running on your laptop, and show you around the Rails
framework so you can hit the ground running when the conference
starts. With any luck, you'll blend right in with the Rails l33t.
Rather than charging directly for the Guidebook, we're donating our
time. It's one way of giving something back to the community that has
given us so much fun. But there's a catch: We're asking attendees to
make a charitable donation before they show up. We're hoping that as
a community we can raise a respectable amount of money for good
causes. And we're excited to see folks already donating well above
the suggested minimum.
Space is limited and filling up very quickly, so book
early. As added incentive, the top three contributors will get some
extra goodies. And even if you don't need the guided tour, I
hope you (or your company) will consider donating to the charities. We'll add it all up
and announce how much you raised during the conference.
See you there!
(Mon Jun 26, 2006) [/Rails] #
Rails Guidebook
exceeded our expectations in every way. Over 100 folks turned up the
day before RailsConf for a
guided tour of Ruby and Rails to help get the most out of the rest of
the conference.
Rather than charge a fixed price for admission to the
event, we decided to try something a bit different: let attendees
donate
online to a list of charities as they saw fit. And wow did they give
generously! Over $8,000 was raised for 10 great causes!
(Full
size)
The giving didn't stop there. A whole bunch of people, including
members of the Rails Core Team, volunteered their time to answer
questions, help folks get Rails installed, and generally help keep the
event rolling along smoothly all day. And it wouldn't have been
possible without Ruby Central and Jay Zimmerman providing the facility.
We're already planning another Guidebook at next year's RailsConf with
the help of O'Reilly. Indeed, we'd like to make this a tradition of
RailsConf. And we're challenging other conferences to offer
charitable events for their communities, as well. Clearly folks want
to help make a difference.
It was truly a community event, and I hope everyone involved feels
proud for being a part of it. Many, many thanks to all of you!
