(Posted on CodeMash's Google Group too)
We've been finalizing the content for the CodeMash Precompiler / Day0
event on 7 January. I'm awfully excited about this because we've got
a pretty amazing event to tack on to CodeMash.
I've come to believe that the meme running around of "Learn a new
language each year" isn't good enough. You can sit down with a book or
some online material, but you'll only get the shallow facade of the
language. You'll learn how to code Ruby in C# style (if C# was your
language of skill) because you're missing all the lessons and idioms
learned by others who've worked in that language for some time.
What the meme ought to be is "Lean a new language, and learn it from
passionate geeks who've been working in it!" To wit, an entire day
dedicated to getting folks up to speed in the basics of languages and
methodologies they're unfamiliar with. The CodeMash Precompiler will
give you the building blocks you'll need to jump into other content on
CodeMash's regular days.
Here's what things are looking like now. Please keep in mind that the
abstracts I've put below are my off-the-cuff initial drafts. We'll get
more polished, descriptive abstracts posted up shortly.
All Day CodeJam
Come in and spend all or part of your day cranking out code in a room
full of Wicked Smart People. We'll have a server application built and
hosted on either a VPC or networked server. You can spend your time
cranking out a front end to the app, you can extend the app's
functionality, or you can just say "This sucks and I'm rebuilding it
from scratch and I'm gonna do it right!"
You can work in your own environment, or better yet, do the CodeMash
thing and jump off into a new environment. We'll have a number of VPCs
set up with all the major development environments.
Concerned that you want to jump into a new environment, but won't know
how to get started? We'll have experts wandering around the room just
waiting to help you out. Why not sit down with someone working in a
different environment and pair up with them?
FULL DAY Language Tutorials
.NET 101 with Josh Holmes and Jeff Blankenburg (and maybe others).
Figure out how to get your feet wet in the .NET framework, C#, Visual
Basic, WPF, Silverlight and more.
Java, Groovy, and Grails 101 with Chris Judd and Jim Shingler. Two
Java experts walk you through the basics of Java, it's newest dynamic
language (Groovy), and the shiniest web framework (Grails.)
Ruby 101 with Jim Weirich and Joe O'Brien. Yeah, does it get any
better? Go learn Ruby from two masters of it.
HALF DAY Methodologies Tutorials
Turning The Ship with Dave Donaldson. (HALF DAY) Spend time in a
highly interactive session with Dave as he discusses practical lessons
learned on changing processes, mindsets, and culture to steer a
company onto a more agile, productive path.
Kanban 101 with Dave Laribee. (HALF DAY) What's Kanban? How's it
different from other Agile implementations? Learn about a not-so-new
approach to managing projects that will help you boost your team's
productivity and speed to delivery.
Fundamentals of Test Driven Development. (HALF DAY. REPEATS MORNING
AND AFTERNOON.) Sit down and walk through the basics of TDD with Leon
Gersing and another presenter yet to be announced. This hits the
basics of TDD and is hands on with two of the most passionate
advocates of TDD around. Learn TDD, evolve your critical thinking.
IMPORTANT
The CodeMash Precompiler is an /OPTIONAL/ event for which you'll
register separately. Final costs are still being worked out, but it
should be well below $100. More details on registration for the
Precompiler shortly.
I hope this excites y'all as much as it does me. I'm more than a bit
twitterpated about it.
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