ReactiveConf 2019 explores bleeding-edge tech, future of programming
ReactiveConf 2019 may be over, but the reviews are still pouring in, and one thing’s crystal clear — this year was our best yet!
Many of you raved about the conference’s overall atmosphere and vibe as well as the reintroduced chat zones, which gave attendees a chance to ask our phenomenal group of speakers a couple of follow-up questions in a more intimate setting. But it was the caliber of our talks, panel discussions and workshops that really cemented ReactiveConf’s status as the best in show when it comes to bleeding-edge technology and innovative software trends.
Over the last five years, we have moved beyond React.js and Angular to take a closer look at other aspects of this multifaceted ecosystem. This year included talks on a wide variety of topics, from GraphQL, PWAs, ReasonML, Webpack, Elm, Clojure and RxJS to TypeScript, Brave, Zeit, Gatsby and much, much more. (All our talks are now on YouTube! Check them out and relive the magic!)
We strived, once again, to be all-inclusive. Our aim was to offer a little something for everyone. But it seems that the 2019 lineup held mass appeal. A number of attendees told us they learned a few things that left them “astounded” and eager to delve into new software realms.
Dominik put it best: ReactiveConf presented “interesting new approaches to use technologies” as well as “new help libraries and frameworks.”
Such feedback gives us all the feels. Quite frankly, we love astounding people. ReactiveConf is about sharing knowledge, ideas and passion. This year, there were 1,200 of you and more than 70 speakers from some of the leading software companies and startups on the market today.
We asked what you like best about ReactiveConf 2019, and you had a lot to say.
Microsoft’s Brian Holt, who spoke about futurist code bases, got a lot of shoutouts.
“Brian predicts that programming is going in the direction of higher levels of abstraction and will soon reach no-code programming — a.k.a. drag-n-drop,” Miroslav told us. “I am looking forward to this, as it will empower more people to start coding. He also showed a demo of VScode in the browser, which looks really promising.”
Gil Tayar, a senior architect and developer at Applitools, also wowed when he told his audience that, yes, contrary to popular belief, writing tests for CSS is possible.
“The talk about CSS testing was interesting, because almost nobody does it. It also showed that it is quite simple and justified why it should be done,” said Adam.
Another fan favorite was the talk OneGraph’s Sean Grove gave about WebAssembly and Rust, with Peter eloquently noting that Rust is a “beautiful, fast language, which, thanks to WebAssembly, can be used to write highly optimized modules that we can use in JavaScript.”
Making his fourth appearance at ReactiveConf, we can always count on Richard Feldman to make his audience swoon. And swoon they did. Richard is head of technology at NoRedInk and his headlining talk — “Predicting the Future of the Web” — was reshared by Coding Tech and has now topped 220,000 views on YouTube. (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
Mark Dalgleish’s “Rethinking Design Practices” was also a hit! Mark is the co-creator of CSS Modules, lead organizer of MelbJS, and frontend infrastructure lead at SEEK. If we had to wager a guess, it’s not the last you’ve seen or heard from him, fellow ReactiveConfers!
“Overall, I liked the fact that, since last year, the conference has shifted from a fight between those that think the FE framework is better to more general topics that will attract a wider audience and not just the FE developers that use the framework,” Adam added.
Our workshops were, as always, in hot-demand.
“I joined the Deep Dive into Webpack workshop. It was super fun, and I learned a lot about the history of Webpack and core source code plugin driven architecture,” said Kuba.
Pinto, voicing what many of you were probably thinking, had this to say about our chat zones: “Please do this for years to come. They were the best part of the conference.” (For sure, Pinto, for sure! We promise!)
Spišo called them “great.” (Awwwwww. ❤)
“Speakers were very friendly and gladly discussed their topics or product in details when asked. It is also very welcoming to leave the conference with new contacts made there,” Spišo added.
“Occasionally, talks went a little outside the main topic,” said Spišo, “like the new secure browser Brave, which pleasantly surprised the audience and shifted the paradigm: you don’t have to pay for free software/products with your data, but you can use blockchain-anonymized tokens instead.”
Did you miss the fun this year? Don’t worry, we are already hard at work on ReactiveConf 2020. What kind of topics and speakers would you like to see on our stages next year? Tell us, and we’ll try and make it happen!
Looking for inspiration? Then fellow conference-goer and influencer Roman has what you need. He gave us all kinds of love on his vlog. It’s not to be missed!
