For example, I like OOPSLA, even in its declining form, because there are two or three people I rarely see elsewhere, and I enjoy teasing them and having them tease back. I also like Wayne, the sound guy we've had for the last 4 or 5 years-he always finds some great music I've not heard before. I used to be active in a rock band, and we could talk shop.
Most of the time the venue is in a warm place when it's just starting to be cold. -rpg
Actually I missed EuroPLoPPLoP but not OOPSLA when I was unable to get there because of my health situation. In those great years at OOPSLA in the 90s, I enjoyed speakingteaching there and also talking to those people in the hallways I now mostly meet at EuroPLoP or XP. I think it is a thin line to walk to make a conference that attracts both academics (sharing their wisdom) and industry (obtaining new ideas). --PeterSommerlad
Ahh EuroPloP. My most favouritest of conferences. I've been looking forwards to getting back there for years, and I really will make it in just a forthnight. It's not academic enough so I can't justify it often, and I also haven't been able to travel, but the venue is great, the people wonderful, the drinks are strong. I could go on and on.
Almost a perfect conference to attend: "whether you like food or sleep, or story-telling or singing, or just sitting and thinking best, or a pleasant mixture of them all." -- JamesNobleEuroPLoP is special, definitely worth attending!
However, it is hard to transfer the qualities of a 50 person all speakers conference to a 2000++ attendees venue. While EuroPLoP covers the networking aspects, it never needed to care to attract large audiences.I enjoyed JAOO - it allows for networking as well, and the steady rhythm plus the speaker selection suits the market needs. It it not academic, though.
At OOPSLA, the workshops have the potential to deliver what is missing at JAOO, the fusion of ideas from different worlds. How do you like the thought of an OOSPA program that alternates between technical talks (60 minutes), panels and the like (60 minutes), and workshop elements (120 minutes) several times a day? - kmqI am a big fan of the O'Reilly conferences, especially Emerging Technologies. The energy there is amazing. The attendees skew much younger than OOPSLA, I think, and everyone seems to be working on something really interesting. Tim O'Reilly usually gives a keynote/pep rally of the basic nature "The future is being invented by the people in this room." And the thing is: it sounds and feels true. - GeoffCohen
I like conferences with a good proportion of Old Names and Promising Youngsters (of all ages) in a situation in which they must interact in a way focused on some thoughtful topic. That seems to mean workshops, mostly, plus a good chunk of hallway time.
So OOPSLA workshops have worked well for me (especially those that required advanced work like a position paper). The Ruby conference, back when it adjoined OOPSLA, was also quite good because almost everyone there wanted to hack Ruby and pick up new ideas. (There was also some of the buzz that Geoff mentions above.)
What works for me is events where the focus is on doing something. Otherwise, I come back from a conference dismayed at how much time I spent time in idle chatter. Nothing bugs me as much as having dinner with two brilliant consultants and having the conversation mostly revolve around how they handle their accounting. (I'm not forward enough to redirect such.) - BrianMarick
I'm surprised to not see CHI mentioned here. It is my favorite conference by far. Lot's of weird ideas, and psychologists as well as computer scientists. Where are the congitive psychologists at OOPSLA? Isn't programming done by human (well, quasi-human) minds? -- DavidUngar
underlying message above -- it's the people -- my favorite, well I am biased, is r!OOts (http://roots.dnd.no) where we focus lots of energy on the fun factor. we are
OT because of its emphasis on experiential learning.
The workshops at ECOOP and OOPSLA.Would like to see a group interactive session at OOPSLA -- worldcafe style
Martine
Not wishing to break the love fest run on !EuroPLoP, I certainly rate it as one of my favourite conferences. I would also say the same thing about OT, but I haven't been for a couple of years (note that it is about to undergo a name change to SPA, Software Practice Advancement). JAOO is becoming a favourite. It has an eclectic mix of conventional conference formats, but with a different mix and attitude. It is a broadchurch conference, having moved well beyond its J and OO beginnings.
Now for ones that people may not have heard of. I have a lot of time (and will confess to being on the committee) for the ACCU spring conference in Oxford. This is a very grass roots conference where people are actually interested in programming (shock!), actually program (horror!) and have an appetite to know more beyond that (no!). It has grown out of a C and C++ background, but it now includes an agile component, a focus on design and modelling, professionalism, AOP and functional programming, more Java and C# than C, and it also hosts a Python conference.
Last year I also had the good fortune to be invited to the !JavaZone conference in Oslo. It was a two-day affair organised by the local Java user group. It had a grass roots feel -- including being hosted in the local student union building -- and a great atmosphere. I have since spoken at another user group meeting and will be attending !JavaZone again this year. Last year's MDA debate was a good warm up for the MDA debate at OOPSLA.
Neither of these last two has any academic or research ambitions, and it is difficult to pick obvious structural features that made them enjoyable and has people coming back for more, and in increasing numbers. However, what they share is that whole grass roots thing. They are user group based and the enthusiasm from both the committee and the participants is tangible.