Global Rails Community Together and on Track at RailsConf 2007
Sebastopol, CA, RailsConf 2007 was a resounding success with over 1,600 attendees, nearly triple the number of the previous year. The event, held at the Oregon Convention Center May 17 - 20, 2007, was co-presented by Ruby Central, Inc. and O’Reilly Media. One aspect that set this conference apart from others was the camaraderie and “let’s pull together” spirit of the Rails community at large. In the opening presentation, program chair Chad Fowler spoke about the spirit of community as well as the opportunity for programmers to work together to spread Rails knowledge.
RailsConf is the industry’s premier event for innovators to rub elbows, share information, and plan the future direction of programming in Rails. “Rails and its community are growing rapidly,” said Fowler. “This year’s event showed us all that we're not just growing in size, but we're also maturing. The tone of the event was one of inclusiveness and of giving back. At the event alone, the community raised over $33,000 for charity”, he added.
Throughout the Oregon Convention Center, groups of excited attendees were huddled together exchanging information. The message board was loaded with notes sharing information and jobs leads for programmers. This palpable sense of community could be felt in every conference session. When Chad Fowler asked the group how many people were actually making money using Rails, there were hundreds of hands in the air. Clearly, the conference proceedings are evidence that Rails has arrived.
The program featured keynote addresses from such luminaries as David Heinemeier Hansson, Dave Thomas, Tim Bray, Andrea O.K. Wright, Avi Bryant, and Jarkko Laine. The program sessions covered topics essential for Rails developers ranging from hands-on programming tools to global, business-minded presentations. Some of the topics included:
-Adding Tests to Legacy Rails Apps
-Building and Working with Static Sites in Ruby on Rails
-Building Community-focused Apps with Rails
-Your First Day with JRuby on Rails
-Rails Routing Roundup
-Going Off Grid: Rails as Platform
For more information on the speakers at RailsConf 2007, or to download presentations visit:
RailsConf 2007 Speakers
The first day of the conference was devoted to tutorials. One of the tutorials, hosted by the Pragmatic Studio, offered an all-day presentation with an altruistic twist. To attend, conference goers simply had to make a donation to charity. For more details on the specifics of the donation visit:
RailsConf Tutorials
RailsConf 2007 also included events that offered attendees a chance to mingle and to further build community including:
-Birds of a Feather sessions (BOFs), an O’Reilly conference staple
-Programmer and Internet celebrity Ze Frank entertained attendees by offering his unique take on geek culture
-Performance by the Extra Action Marching Band
-Sponsor reception, a chance for attendees to connect personally with the companies developing in Rails.
-The “at_exit do” reception at the conclusion of the conference
The exhibition floor was busy with attendees discussing programming and development while visiting sponsor and exhibitor booths from: FiveRuns, Sun Microsystems, ThoughtWorks, GotThingsDone, Engine Yard, Adobe, CodeGear, ELC Technologies, ActiveState, Amazon Web Services, Blue Box Group, Creopolis, Powell's Books, Rails For All, Inc., and Saviance Technologies Pvt. Ltd. Some of the launches and releases that were announced at RailsConf 2007 include:
-Rails For All, Inc. Forges Links Into the Rails Community
-ActiveState Announces Komodo Extensibility Challenge Winners at RailsConf
-ActiveState Releases Advanced IDE for Ruby on Rails
-ThoughtWorks Studios Releases New Ruby-in-Enterprise Effort, RubyWorks
-Five Runs Introduces the Industry-First Enterprise Manage- ment for Rails
-CodeGear Unveils First IDE for Agile Ruby on Rails Web 2.0 Development
RailsConf 2008 will be held at the Oregon Convention Center on May 29-June 1, 2008. The call for papers will be open in October of 2007, with registration opening in January of 2008.
Additional Resources:
For complete RailsConf 2007 details, visit:
Conference Details
Read the RailsConf 2007 blog for the news, blogs, photos (available for use with attribution)
RailsConf News
Upcoming O'Reilly conferences:
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Ruby Central is the parent organization of the annual International Ruby and Rails Conferences and is a visible presence and point of contact for corporate sponsors interested in supporting these conferences and other Ruby activities. For more information, visit:
Ruby Central###
About O’Reilly
O’Reilly Media spreads the knowledge of innovators through its books, online services, magazines, and conferences. Since 1978, O’Reilly Media has been a chronicler and catalyst of cutting-edge development, homing in on the technology trends that really matter and spurring their adoption by amplifying “faint signals” from the alpha geeks who are creating the future. An active participant in the technology community, the company has a long history of advocacy, meme-making, and evangelism.