tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2405476812031211238.post1103634367891400601..comments2023-07-12T18:09:56.569-04:00Comments on Rhythm of Testing: Considering Conferences: A ReflectionPete Walenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10651704389491850533noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2405476812031211238.post-56178934235416805792017-12-14T17:50:04.292-05:002017-12-14T17:50:04.292-05:00Indeed. I celebrate people coming into testing and...Indeed. I celebrate people coming into testing and software in general. What I am frustrated by, and conference organizes have a role in this, are the number of people speaking who have nothing to say which speaks to their experience.<br /><br />I see many with "happy endings" and "they all lived happily ever after" and no information, no solid examples of how they got there. <br /><br />They give nothing to others who might benefit from the lessons they learned to get to the "happily ever after" ending. <br /><br />Others cite the books touted (or written) by the cool-kids - without making it clear what it is they learned and how others might be able to make use of the lessons.<br /><br />In short - I want less fluff.Pete Walenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10651704389491850533noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2405476812031211238.post-90181948197039112302017-12-14T05:13:34.628-05:002017-12-14T05:13:34.628-05:00But isn't this a sign of a vibrant and growing...But isn't this a sign of a vibrant and growing community? One where the cool kids are trying new stuff and there ARE "latest cool books" and "latest cool tools" and people who have just come into the community or the profession and don't yet know all the cool stuff. I'd be a bit more worried if we get ten years down the line and the number of new testers was static and the same cool stuff trends were still circulating and being talked about.<br /><br />Yes, there needs also to be people like you who look for the paths less trodden, and either go down them or encourage others to go down them. But to take the path less trodden, you need to know what everyone else knows, you need to have already gone down the well-worn route; then you can say "Hey, look, you've all forgotten THIS thing!".<br /><br />Or perhaps it's just that the real reason anyone who's been around for a while in the community goes to conferences is to network with new people and hang out with people you already know but haven't seen in a while; and the formal conference sessions are something you can easily skip because you've been there and done that. But that would be a sign of a mature but possibly static community. And then we'd be having to decide where to strike the balance between reinforcing the groupthink about what was cool to know and what's new to find out about.<br /><br />(The big risk then is that if your attendance at the conference is sponsored by your employer, they find out what conferences are really like and cut your funding on the grounds that they don't pay for corporate jollies - but that's another story.)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com