GORUCO Memories

by Francis Hwang

In the video titled 'GORUCO Memories', Francis Hwang reflects on the history and significance of the GoRuCo (Ruby Conference) since its inception. He begins by marking the twelfth anniversary of the conference and engaging the audience with nostalgic references to past event t-shirts from different years. Hwang, who founded one of the first Ruby meetups in New York City, shares his initial reluctance to organize the annual conference due to the perceived workload, yet emphasizes the rewarding nature of the event. He highlights the evolution of coding conferences from a focus on enterprise to a more engaging format where programmers congregate to share knowledge.

Key points discussed include:
- The early challenges in organizing the first GoRuCo in 2007, where few programming conferences catered to developers looking to collaborate.
- The notable speakers from the first conference, including Paul Dix and Chris Wanstrath, illustrating the growth and success of notable Ruby-centric projects such as GitHub and InfluxDB.
- Providing an opportunity for emerging speakers and recognizing Sandy Metz’s first solo talk, showcasing the potential for professional growth within the Ruby community.
- Hwang's personal connection to Ruby, relating it to both the intellectual ambition and emotional aspects of programming.

In closing, Hwang notes that this conference may be the last GoRuCo, sending a heartfelt message encouraging the audience to carry forward the core values of beauty, craftsmanship, and human connection that Ruby and GoRuCo represent, despite the industry's chaotic nature. He concludes by thanking everyone for being part of this journey together, emphasizing the lasting impact of their shared experiences and the importance of community in technology.

00:00:14.690 Okay, so first I'm talking about GoRuCo memories. I will try not to be excessively nostalgic about it, but this is the twelfth year of GoRuCo. By the way, who here is wearing an old GoRuCo t-shirt from a previous year? Does anyone have the 2007 shirt? There was no t-shirt that year; I didn't realize there was a shirt. I don’t think it was very good. How about the 2008 shirts? Did anyone attend that year? There it is. What about 2009? Is anyone wearing a 2009 shirt? Somebody close by said 2009.

00:00:50.629 Very briefly, I founded one of the first Ruby meetups in New York City. We held it every month and it kept getting bigger and bigger. People were meeting each other and having a lot of fun. For about two years, everyone said, 'Francis, this meetup is so much fun; we should run an annual conference.' I thought that was a terrible idea and didn't want to hear about it. I thought it was too much work; why would we do that? But we did it, and eventually, it turned into a ton of fun. It's really interesting to see how much has changed since 2007. At that time, there were almost no good conferences for programmers.

00:02:07.950 In 2007, many of the conferences were either hardcore enterprise events or for VPs with huge IT budgets. There were many salespeople there who could buy a mistake dinner. There were so few conferences where people would actually come, bring laptops, and talk about code. Even back then, getting Wi-Fi in a room for 200 people at once was a weird ask. Fortunately, things have changed for the better.

00:02:56.910 This is us planning the very first year, and you can see Trotter Cashen in the foreground. He is now in LA. Can you believe he chose LA over New York? This is Jay Phillips, and we were in Google space for the first year. Jay gave a talk about a voice-over IP framework connected in Ruby. This is Paul Dix, who would later found InfluxDB. On the left is Brian Holmes; he went on to found Code Climate. Chris Wanstrath, who founded GitHub, was here too, giving a talk. At the time, GitHub was only about six months old. I think they are doing well now. Sandy Metz also started her career here at GoRuCo in 2009 by giving her first solo talk, which is one of my best professional accomplishments.

00:04:00.810 I want to give props to Jesse Cohen, who convinced Sandy to attend. She wasn't sure if she had enough material, but we told her, 'You're crazy! Come to New York; we’ll buy you a ticket.' One of the things about organizing is that it’s fascinating to see people who have been here for a long time and those coming for the first time.

00:04:55.940 One reason Ruby was important to me is that it matches both intellectual ambition and the emotional realities we face as programmers. We are not machines; we have needs. We want to feel fascinated by our work, to be respected, and to see a sense of craft and beauty in what we do every day.

00:05:00.800 Apparently, this is the last GoRuCo, or so I've been told. Wherever you end up going next—whether to other Ruby meetups or conferences—retain that deep belief that, despite all the money and craziness in this industry, there is still beauty and a sense of human connection in the work we do. Thank you!