Last Updated on January 12, 2021 by admin
Well, another RailsConf event has come and gone, and I wasn’t there, damn it! Too bad, Austin is the only civilized city in Texas, and it’s pretty close to my location, but no luck. The usual restraints – time and money.
Once again, I’m so glad I went to the first Rails conference in 2006 in Chicago on my own nickel. I think most of the people that attended RailsConf 2006 did the same. The event was held over the weekend, because none of us could justify a couple of days from our day jobs, which at the time was largely not Rails development. Probably the only people making money on Rails development back then was Dave Hansson aka Mr. RoR, Dave Thomas, co-author of the Ruby Pickaxe book, and Chad Fowler and David Black, a couple of the organizers. (Apparently if your name is David, you’ll do well in this sector.)
There was roughly 500 – 600 people in attendance, although it felt smaller and more intimate for some reason. DHH did one of the keynote speeches, and the legendary Why and his band provided the entertainment. Very cool. The event was very well organized, although there was a pretty short list of restaurants within walking distance of the hotel.
Fast forward six years. What a difference. I don’t remember how much I paid for admission at RailsConf 2006, but it sure as hell wasn’t $750 – WTF? For a conference two-and-a-half days long? Sheesh! I hope everybody got First Class treatment for that price.
Be that as it may, I understand from a blog or two that the event was attended by a lot of first time folks. That’s great news – the Rails community is still growing and vibrant. Maybe a little too vibrant sometimes, but that’s a topic for another day. In the meantime, there are a couple of Ruby / Rails events later this year around the Denver / Boulder area that I hope will be more within my price range. Cheers!