I was at the JS World and VueJS Amsterdam

I had the pleasure of visiting both JS World and VueJS Amsterdam. For those who don't have time to read more - yes, it was terrific.

JS World and VueJS Amsterdam took place on the 8-10 February in Amsterdam, and this year I was there. I was quite psyched about this because of the speakers and venue and because this was my first non-WP conference since almost always.

Amsterdam

I always enjoy visiting Amsterdam. It has this nice vibe. Sadly, this year I didn't have too much time for sightseeing. It didn't stop me from visiting two coffee places (places, not shops 😄 ). And twice I was happy with the coffee (a v60). Also, at Bocca Coffee, the barista decided to try a new pouring method.

I also discovered that Le Trappe has a non-alcoholic beer, and it's amazing.

Last but not least - I had a chance to try sherpa's soup at the Nepalese restaurant. If you ever have a chance - come and visit Bhatti Pasal.

My favorite talks

Overall the level of all the talks was very high and picking the best 6 is quite difficult.

Building Age Of Empires 2 with React: Rise of the Browser By Joe Hart. This was the talk I anticipated the most. It's Age of Empires... in React. Also, Joe is perfect at performing on the stage, and it was a pure pleasure to watch this.

The Root of Auth Thingz by Ashley Narcisse. This was really interesting. While using some solutions, you don't wonder about how everything works under the hood. Also, Ashley is just an amazing person.

Playing your tests wright by Debbie O'Brien. There were many puns during this conference, but only Debbie Played it wright. Everything during that presentation was amazing: content (I can't wait to dive into PW next week) and how Debbie presented it.

Writing (Really) Good Tests by Markus Oberlehner. It's difficult to be the last presenter before the afterparty. You are the last barrier that stops everyone from drinking. But Markus delivered an amazing talk about testing. I loved the concept of decoupling tests.

How browser automation works behind the scenes by Jecelyn Yeen. The presentation explained how the communication between browsers and testing frameworks looks like. I never even thought about this, but thanks to Jecelyn, I learned something new. Also, a bonus point for how she handled the technical problems.

Let's Build A Virtual DOM By Marc Backes. As a person from the PHP world, I never overthought how VDOM works. Luckily Marc was here and showed it step by step. Also, kudos to him for spending some time on showing me a part about reactivity. Marc also got bonus points for being an origami dripper fan.

How Vue Drives Global Trade By Mariam Reba Alexander. I suspected something horrible, but it turned out to be a very interesting case study, showing how such a big company benefits from VueJS and gives back to the community.

The worst talks

Apart from the best talks, picking the worst ones was simple. SauseLabs and Wix, as sponsors, had a chance to present something on the stage. In both cases, the presentations were just boring and concentrated too much on the product. If you can present at this amazing stage for people who paid a lot of money for it, at least try to do it right.

Maersk and VueStorefront were able to deliver amazing talks.

The React Documentary

At the end of day 1, we all had a chance to watch a documentary about React (you can do it too - it's available on YouTube). It was really amazing - to discover why and how it was created. I never suspected that React's road was so bumpy.

After the movie, there was also a Q&A session with people responsible for React in some way, e.g., Dan Abramov.

And most important - people

It was my first time at the JS World. Apart from a small bunch of people, I didn't know anyone here. Luckily, again, developers showed how welcoming they are. I really can't wait to meet everyone again next year.

Key takeaway

I feel so inspired. Really. I'm not a full-time developer anymore, but I learned about so many interesting tools and concepts that I will probably constantly try to find an excuse to play with some of those. Also, together with Condor and Kristof, we have ideas that can bring some benefits to Kinsta.

Also, I finally had a chance to visit a non-WP event. While they differ in many ways (cost, venue, how it's organized, and more), the general vibe is similar - it's all about learning new stuff and meeting friends. It's that simple in the end, and I think that's the most wonderful thing about being a part of the dev community.