Thoughts on the Frameworks Conference

I had a great time attending and presenting at the 2007 Frameworks Conference last Thursday and Friday. A few highlights:

Finally meeting Rob Gonda, Chris Scott, Clark Valberg, and Peter Bell in person. All four were very cool guys and I had a great time talking with each of them! It's picking the brains of people like this that really makes conferences so valuable.

Chris Scott's AOP presentation. I think I finally have cut through the jargon thanks to this.

Watching Hal and Nat arm wrestle.

Giving my presentation. I've never been too fond of public speaking, but I think I'm actually starting to enjoy it! A lot of folks came up to me afterwards to tell me they found it informative and useful. So thanks to everyone who attended my talk!

Overall it was a great time. I think I only had two minor complaints:

First, a few people seemed to overdo it at the bar. I'm all for getting toasty and enjoying good beer and company, but it IS a professional conference after all. Let's just say there were a few awkward moments as a result.

Second, I do feel that at a few moments (like the keynote) it seemed to focus a bit to heavily on Fusebox at the expense of the other frameworks. I'm a member of Team Fusebox and I certainly want to see that framework thrive. But I also use (and like) Mach-II and Model-Glue, and I think we need to remember that this conference has gone from being the "Fusebox Conference" to being the "Frameworks Conference". Might just be my perception but I doubt it.

Still, TeraTech threw a really good conference on the whole. Everything flowed smoothly and all the sessions I saw were very good. Everyone seemed to get a lot out of it, so to all the speakers and attendees I say "well done"!