I attended LARubyConf this past weekend and enjoyed it. As someone who regularly works in ColdFusion and would like not to anymore, it was very refreshing to spend a weekend focused on something different. I anticipated enjoying the hands-on workshops more than the single track conference, but it ended up being the other way around.
The workshop was well done (I attended Rails Fundamentals) and the instructor from Jumpstart Lab was outstanding. However, the training was below my skill level. I found that I had already mastered the fundamentals based on my own research, reading and self-training. It was good to hear some in-person instruction regardless and it validated what I felt I had already learned.
The presentations during the single-track conference on Saturday were excellent. I was impressed with most of the speakers. These guys were sharp, and people of many skill levels were able to walk away with something. Both the presenters and the conference organizers knocked it out of the park, in my opinion. I’m eager to participate in LARubyConf 2013.
If you’re looking for a really good, really quick and to-the-point tutorial on nested forms in Rails, along with some helpful model configuration tips, this is it:
Very curious to hear some thoughts on using aspect filters to manage security at the ApplicationController level as opposed to at a specific controller (MemberController, for example). As a noob, I’m learning it’s considered safer to place a before_filter in the ApplicationController and then place a skip_before_filter in controllers where it’s not necessary. This is considered a less error prone approach as it avoids omissions.
I’ll be attending LA Ruby Conf this year and hopefully I’ll get the real life face time with other developers to get some actual feedback on these types of questions.
I don’t often urge people to read biographies because I find that few people find them as enjoyable as I do. This is one that most people will enjoy, I’m sure of it.
The man isn’t invincible or perfect, nor is he overly flawed or evil. He is definitely interesting and his story is one of the most fascinating I’ve ever read. I highly recommend the book.
Top 5 Most Annoying Halloween Constumes
The recent headlines have sounded pretty exciting:
Microsoft’s Steve Ballmer attacks Android phones
and:
Microsoft’s Ballmer Trashes Android, Touts Skype
But really, all Ballmer said was that he believed you need to be a “computer scientist” to use an Android phone, suggesting Microsoft Windows Phone OS offered a simpler user experience. He also made reference to a “sea of icons” which suggests he dislikes the UI or menu system as well.
More details on his remarks are right here.
With my eyes open lately to other technologies (mostly Java due to my interests in Android, and recently Rails) I’ve had an opportunity to chat with developers who don’t work in ColdFusion. These guys seem shocked that I’m working in ColdFusion professionally, which I find baffling. Just this evening, one of my newest developer friends gleefully forwarded this link:
I Always Said ColdFusion Sucked
It bums me out reading stuff like this, for a number of reasons. I really feel like Adobe could have done a lot more to increase the acceptance level of ColdFusion. I’ve invested around 12 years developing on the platform and I’m pleased with how things have evolved up to CF9. But with the price tags on both the server technology AND the IDE, it’s hard to recruit developers to the platform which has made for some very challenging hiring issues for me for the past 6 years.
The response to these challenges by the ColdFusion community sometimes concerns me. I recall an article by TechCrunch that called ColdFusion “outmoded technology” that caused an uprising of venomous comments that seemed to simultaneously invigorate other CF developers while turning off developers dedicated to other technologies. These threads were usually graced by the former ColdFusion Product Manager who would hurl insults indiscriminately, even targeting long-time CF developers expressing what they considered to be legitimate concerns. The lesson: don’t challenge Adobe or the community, just take what you get and like it — a far cry from what I experienced at JavaOne a few weeks ago.
Can ColdFusion evolve and grow successfully if challenges are disregarded? Can developers evolve and grow successfully if they are dedicated to a platform that marches to the beat of its own drum? Am I a ColdFusion leper for asking these questions?
Despite JavaOne 2011 just ending, registration is now open for JavaOne 2012. Simply click here to register for next year’s event, scheduled for September 30 to October 4, 2012.
The most “sellable” part of this news that you should note if you have to convince your employer to sponsor your attendance: you’ll save $800 if you register before October 21st. Let the negotiations begin…
“You don’t get a second Steve Jobs. There’s only one of those.” — Leo Laporte, TWiT.tv