test.allTheThings() at Jenkins World 2016
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I spent last week at Jenkins World 2016.
This was my second time hanging out at the Sauce Labs booth, the first being Microsoft's /b/uild event.
I have to say I'm realy enjoying it. I don't think I could do it full time, but its so much fun to talk to people excited to use your product. There's that moment in thier eyes you can see when they realized its actually going to make their lives easier.
Jenkins World was actually incredably well done itself. I snuck off to the keynote to check things out on Wed morning. As someone who is lightly attached to the community, I didn't really find anything all that new, but there was lots of exciting news. He explained why the UI hasn't really changed in the past, and what they are going to do about it (Blue Ocean) and what they want to do long term, including the sexy sexy configuring Jenkins by Pull requests.
Our booth was right next to the entrance to a couple of the theaters, and the event had planned it so people would come back to the main hall between talks for food and snacks and stuff. While some of the talks were on, things got pretty slow, but we did have visitors, and I got to talk to some of the other out of town saucers that I normally don't get to interact with.
In the end, I didn't end up going to any of the other panels. I realized they were not really designed for me, I'm a very comfortable Jenkins user. They were more targeting people new to it. Instead I would talk to the other vendors, learned about a bunch of awesome products. Talked to some of the other attendies taking breaks.
The event ran informally on Tuesday, and they capped Tuesday off with a community appreciation night at the Computer History Museum. I was a little too paranoid about my backpack (which they didn't want to allow inside) for me to wander the exhibits, but I had a blast hanging outside with random people. I managed to met a pair from scotland, and at least one person which high security clearance. Even ran into a buddy of mine I've known almost 15 years, but who I havn't seen in probably 5 years (when was the last pax I went to?).
Wednesday was the longest of everything. I took the first shuttle from the hotel to the convention center at 7am. The actual talks ended around 5pm, but there was a Dev Ops Express party that night, so all the vendors stayed around and socialized with the various attendies. Lots of foods, snacks, even popcorn. The event kinda wound down at 7:30, and I was exhausted and took off about then.
Thursday was a much shorter day, only going to 5pm. Less people came by, but we had one guy who came by, and came back later that afternoon with his boss so things could be re-explained. I think by the end I had her convinced as well 😄
Last but not least, Jenkins World had the team (I didn't know it was a team) behind Commitstrip come by from France. They were producing a mural just outside the main rooms. The plan was that the attendiees would be able to color it in, but they'd draw the thing.
I walked by it a few times. I really wish I had snagged a picture of the colored in one, but it still looks great black and white.
I know at least one of them (Okay I'm not certain there's a team) was on stage for the keynote on Wed morning. He was live drawing while people were getting steated. It was so much fun to watch. Whoa, whats he doing? Oh, shading, thats probably not needed is it?... oh whoa, zoomed out, Okay I can see how much that adds. Thats amazing.
Overall a blast. I'm going to keep signing up for booth duty in the future. I had a blast.. as I've already said. And its so cool to work at a company/for a product you actually believe in and am not ashamed of. I havn't felt like that since LiveJournal.
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