JSConf EU When I’m not doing that, I’m a developer from Berlin, Germany. I work on an offline-first JavaScript library called Hoodie and a database called CouchDB. I also did mustache.js, but I’m no longer maintaining that. * * * First and foremost, I have to express how honoured I am to speak here at JSConf Last Call. JSConf has changed my life significantly, for the better. So, thank you for having me! <3
Family Williams is going to be involved with for the foreseeable future. And while there are a lot reasons to be sad about this, for the next 20 minutes, I’d like to focus on the happy parts. Selfishly, I’ll start with my own story.
getting used to iPhones and having our digital lives with us at all times. I am instant messaging buddies with Chris, which leads to late-night chat sessions for me, because I’m 6 hours ahead. CLICK for uh-oh
a ruby conference put on by Pete Forde in Toronto, Canada. And Chris mentions two things 1. He’s been to a lot of industry conferences, but now that he’s seen at Ruby Fringe how it can be done right, he concludes that a lot of conferences are not very good. I agree. 2. He asks: what do you think about a JavaScript conference? I consider for a moment and then realise that there are probably a lot of people who write JavaScript, but there is no JavaScript conference, so surely, it is a good idea! I’m glad you say this, he says, because I’m organising one.
we are chatting, as you do. Chris says the tickets are not selling well, they might have to cancel. I’m trying to encourage a friend, but it is also 3am, so in a sleepy haze, I say: CLICK if JSConf is a success I’ll bring it to Europe.
the venue that the event is off and that the William’s need their deposit back, as it turns out it is backed by their mortgage and they kinda don’t want to lose the house. Because Chris doesn’t quite know how to phrase the “this was a failure” message, and because he doesn’t want more people to sign up and be disappointed, he quickly changes the website to sold out, closes ticket sales and drives to the venue. the drive is about 45 minutes, nearly there, he checks his email (remember, the iPhone is new) and to his utter and complete surprise, there is an email that asks about how to maybe get one more ticket. And another email, and another, and in total there are enough inquiries to put JSConf over the break even point. so instead of cancelling the event and getting the deposit back, the Williams’s confirm JSConf on the spot and the event is on.
all gather in a hotel ballroom in Washington, DC. * * * My work on CouchDB allows me to talk to all the different language communities, and I’m seeing many familiar faces. There are Ruby, who do JavaScript on the side. There are Python, who do JavaScript on the side. There are PHP, who do JavaScript on the side. After lunch and listening to half a day worth of talks, the mood in the ballroom changes. We are slowly starting to realise that we are JavaScript people who do Ruby on the side, Python on the side and PHP on the side. But primarily, we are JavaScript people. The first JSConf has since been described as a homecoming of a community that didn’t know it existed. And that’s exactly what happened. We now had a JavaScript community. There there wasn’t one before.
are doing the closing announcements, Chris asks me to stand up. I oblige, completely oblivious to what was about to happen. He thanked me for supporting him through tough times. He also said, that one of the things I said to support him was that if JSConf was a success, I’d take it to Europe. CLICK
this was a success, but if you think it was, let Jan know, because then he’ll take it to Europe. And to thunderous applause, my face goes CLICK shiiiiit.
Front Trends conference in Warsaw, Poland speaks at Berlin.js, our local monthly community meetup that we started after JSConf EU. Afterwards we talk and he said he went to JSEU and wanted something like this at home and started looking for people who could do it, but they couldn’t find any, so they decided to do it on their own.
of the many many conferences that have been inspired by JSConf. The one thing that brings all of these events together is their deep care about the communities they are organised for, about caring for people, trying new things, don’t follow the same old patterns or running soulless events. Putting people first, attendees, speakers, everyone. And that focus comes from Laura’s and Chris’s dedication and craftiness to put on events that facilitate a community coming together. Over and over again. While writing this talk, it dawned on me. That feeling we all had at the very first JSConf in Washington, DC, when we realised what we didn’t know before: that we were the JavaScript community. Every event since that JSConf US in 2009 in this lineage is an attempt to re-create this feeling of newfound companionship and to allow an ever growing group of people to experience the community for the first time and feel at home. Front Trends has now been running for 5 years, has had a total of over 2200 attendees. JSConf EU has done 7 editions, in lock-step with US, and has had >2500 total attendees. Now the the kicker, there are over 50 events, including a JSConf on every inhabited continent and then some, that have a story like the ones above: “this is great, I want to have this at home”, “this is great, I want to do this with a different context”, etc. Over 50 events, with well over 50000 attendees over the past 7 years alone have come out of Laura’s and Chris’s commitment to this community.
more people the chance to become part of the JS community. “ We wanted to give more people the chance to become part of the JavaScript community. — Robin Mehner, Reject.js, Berlin, Germany
something similar to JSConf to Portugal and there was no JavaScript community in Portugal. “ We wanted to bring something similar to JSConf to Portugal and there was no JavaScript community in Portugal. — Tiago Rodrigues, LXJS, Lisbon, Portugal
had a community feeling that no other conference around us had. “ We felt that JSConf had a community feeling that no other conference around us had. — Trygve Lie, WebRebels, Oslo, Norway
with the awesomeness of the experience. I wanted to bring this home. “ I got blasted away with the awesomeness of the experience. I wanted to bring this home. — Douglas Campos, JSConf Brazil, Fortaleza
together the JavaScript community in Portugal. It made more people get involved, start doing more JavaScript, work for new and international companies. Nowadays there is a regular meetup in Lisbon and a number of NodeSchools around the country. “ It spawned and brought together the JavaScript community in Portugal. It made more people get involved, start doing more JavaScript, work for new and international companies. Nowadays there is a regular meetup in Lisbon and a number of NodeSchools around the country. — Tiago Rodrigues, LXJS, Lisbon, Portugal
visible presence of women and other under represented groups an expected part of a well-run tech conference. “ We made a visible presence of women and other under represented groups an expected part of a well-run tech conference. – Tiffany Conroy, JSConf EU, Berlin, Germany At this point I’ll have to apologise for the poor representation of women in my list of quotes, the reasons for this are beyond the scope of this talk, but do talk to me in the hallway, if you are interested.
JavaScript community in Scotland with meet ups in both Glasgow and Edinburgh that didn’t exist before. “ We now have a JavaScript community in Scotland with meet ups in both Glasgow and Edinburgh that didn’t exist before. — Pete Aitken, ScotlandJS, Edinburgh, Scotland
have been able to give a platform to newbie speakers that have gone on to become amazing at sharing their knowledge. “ Over the years we have been able to give a platform to newbie speakers that have gone on to become amazing at sharing their knowledge. — Pete Aitken, ScotlandJS, Edinburgh, Scotland Philip Roberts on top3 YT
to open up a text file they opened up Microsoft Word! At the end of the day they had programmed a flying robot that acted like a jellyfish, completely with flying patterns… “ When I asked them to open up a text file they opened up Microsoft Word! At the end of the day they had programmed a flying robot that acted like a jellyfish, completely with flying patterns etc. — Robin Mehner, Reject.js, Berlin, Germany
before. There was a huge Java community here in Oslo and I think we have disrupted that… “ There was no community before. There was a huge Java community here in Oslo and I think we have disrupted that… — Trygve Lie, WebRebels, Oslo, Norway
word that I’ve heard many times. Salaries are low and work is grinding, uninspiring. I do believe our little and growing community makes a difference. “ “Sweat-shop” is a word that I’ve heard many times. Salaries are low and work is grinding, uninspiring. I do believe our little and growing community makes a difference. — Thomas Gorissen, JSConf Asia, Singapore et.al.
the most stressful and exhaustive things I’ve ever done. But seeing the enthusiasm of our attendees, and making friends, and helping others, totally worth it. “ One of the most stressful and exhaustive things I've ever done. But seeing the enthusiasm of our attendees, and making friends, and helping others, totally worth it. — Szabolcs “_nec” Szabolcsi-Toth, JSConf Budapest, Hungary
hours are long and the rewards can seem fleeting. But over the last four years I’ve met some of the brightest, kindest and hardest working people I've ever known. “ The hours are long and the rewards can seem fleeting. But over the last four years I've met some of the brightest, kindest and hardest working people I've ever known. — Carter Rabasa, CascadiaJS, Pacific N/W, Canada & USA
me, JSConf is the conference that taught me that being a better programmer starts with first being a better person. “ To me, JSConf is the conference that taught me that being a better programmer starts with first being a better person. — Carter Rabasa, CascadiaJS, Pacific N/W, Canada & USA
excellent skills in emailing, spreadsheet management and dealing with a constant guilt of being behind on tasks. “ We have picked up excellent skills in emailing, spreadsheet management and dealing with a constant guilt of being behind on tasks. — Trygve Lie, WebRebels, Oslo, Norway
for Laura & Chris in 2009 and every year since. They didn’t do this for the first time in history, but for the first time for this community and they kept at it. And we owe them. So much, for their hard work and persistence and everything else that they brought into making JSConf what it is today, CLICK an inspiration for a generation. Thank you, Laura & Chris. Now I’d like to introduce Charlie Robbins, who’s got a JSConf origin story of his own.
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