MacNoob

A friend of mine sent me an e-mail asking how my WWDC experience was. I replied: “It’s like drinking from a fire hose!” That response may have been a bit melodramatic, but I still stand by it. The conference presents so much information so concisely its difficult (if not impossible) for a mere mortal to absorb it all. If you’ve ever seen a video of an Apple keynote you have an idea of how polished their presentations tend to be. Even though the subject matter was different, every session I attended at this year’s WWDC was put together that well. Instead of talking about new Macs or iPhones like in a keynote, the session presenters talked about new code constructs, OS X Leopard features or any of 100+ different subjects at varying levels of detail and complexity. The labs were done just as well. The first floor of Moscone West was over half lab space, filled with enough new Apple hardware to make any fanboy think he was at the North Pole with Santa Steve and the four labs I attended were staffed with knowledgeable, helpful engineers. As is customary with Apple, nothing gets done half way.

I spent the week attending five sessions (or labs) per day and every one of those sessions were professionally architected and excellently presented. As impressive as that may be, Apple orchestrated over 280 sessions and labs for more than 5000 developers and from everything I’ve been able to gather, they all went well. In fact, I had a difficult time deciding which session to attend on several occasions. There were typically over twenty sessions and labs available for every time slot and odds were, there would be more than one that interested me. Fortunately, Apple will post video of all the sessions on their site so I won’t have to miss anything.

As valuable as the presented material was, the availability of Apple engineers and their willingness to help was of equal worth. Every session ended with a Q & A and I gleaned a ton of information without ever stepping up to the mic. The four labs I attended proved to be some of the best time I spent all week because the engineers were available to answer my questions and provide guidance for my specific problems. I also enjoyed the 100Mb internet connection whenever I plugged my Mac into one of the lab’s hardwire ethernet connections. I don’t know about you, but I’ve never experienced a connection anywhere near that fast. I took the opportunity to download all the available SDKs and iPhone OS versions and snuck in a HD movie download to boot. The new James Bond flick downloaded both versions (>4.5GB) in about 10 minutes! My 5Mb connection at home usually takes a couple of hours. But I digress…

My only regret was not having enough time to mingle with other developers. While Apple provided lots of seating and internet connectivity outside the sessions and labs, I just never seemed to have the time to take advantage of it for fear of missing some of the prepared material. This is one thing I’ve vowed to change next year. No doubt, I’ll be back!

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I quit my last job because the promised 15% travel turned into something closer to 50%, so getting on an airplane is not my idea of a good time.  Be that as it may, I can’t wait to fly to San Francisco this Sunday to attend my first WWDC (Apple’s World Wide Developer Conference).  Aside from providing an escape from Houston’s already oppressive 90+ degree heat and 100% humidity, the Bay Area is hosting nothing less than “nerdvana” for five days next week.  I really try not to get caught up in all the fanboy hype, but as WWDC draws closer, the Apple rumor mill output goes off-scale, piquing my anticipation.

Everybody tends to focus speculation on Monday’s keynote, and while I’m excited about it I must admit [as a fledgling Apple developer] the lineup of sessions and labs I’ll be attending has me more excited than Johnny Five in a Barnes & Noble.  If Apple delivers half of what they promise on their web site, the trip will be well worth the three grand I’ve invested in it.  There is a ton of new technology to cover this year, even by Apple’s standards.  OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard) is looming on the horizon, iPhone OS 3.0 is due to be released this month and we don’t even know what new magical hardware Mr. Schiller will introduce during Monday’s keynote.  There will probably be a new iPhone, maybe a larger tablet-like device.  Speculation ranges from the probable to the completely implausible but what is certain: Apple will spring something surprising, they always do.  I’m getting stoked just writing about it all.

It’s easy to lose sight of what the “D” in WWDC stands for amidst all the speculation and hype, especially if you’re on the outside looking in.  As I try to plan my week using the published schedule of sessions and labs, I get snapped back to reality in short order.  This is going to be real work! I even wonder if my poor brain still has the capacity to assimilate all the information being offered.  It’s going to be like drinking from a fire hose.  Compounding this dilemma, I’m certain I’ll be attempting at least a portion of this task with a (hopefully)mild hangover.  Oh well, all I can do is give it my best shot and hope to capture what I need.

Beyond everything I just described, what I most look forward to is the intangible.  I’ll be immersed in all the Apple goodness with the people who build OS X, the iPhone OS and  the applications that run on them.  Me, right in the middle of the event that all the blogs, news and fanboy sites will be focused on next week is like an escape from the every-day, mundane routine and a pilgrimage to the center of the Apple universe.  For a few short days this is where it’s happening, and I’m going to be a part of it.  Cool.

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