One beauty of WWDC being in San Francisco was that the whole lot was shut. It didn’t matter a lot which occasion you selected to go to after the convention completed every single day, it was all inside strolling distance. AltConf, which grew to be a vital a part of WWDC week was normally hosted throughout the highway within the Kids’s Museum 🎠, and the Layers convention joined a few years later. All mixed, they supported many extra folks than the official occasion may accommodate.
If something San Jose would possibly’ve been even extra handy than San Francisco! AlfConf was hosted not more than 20 paces away from the convention centre, and there have been many extra venues inside a couple of minutes stroll for impromptu meetups or organised occasions.
We sadly haven’t seen the opposite conferences transition to Cupertino since in-person occasions began at Apple Park. Presumably as a result of Cupertino is nowhere close to as walkable as the opposite cities are. Presumably as a result of the official occasion is barely a one-day occasion? Or possibly it simply didn’t really feel fairly the identical for the reason that pandemic.
So I used to be delighted to see this week’s announcement of a brand new community-run convention that may run alongside this 12 months’s WWDC. One Extra Factor is a five-day occasion with labs, workshops, and different occasions. It’s being organised by J’aime Ohm with assist and recommendation from each AltConf and Layers organisers.
The location for the convention is nice, too. It’s a stone’s throw from Apple Park (the customer’s centre is walkable from the venue), and there are many espresso outlets and eating places proper outdoors the lodge door. It’s the proper location for an occasion like this.
It’s early days for a full schedule, however there’s already a Keynote/SotU watch occasion deliberate for Monday and “particular occasions” by Paul Hudson and James Dempsey on Thursday and Friday. 🫨 Proposals for talks are open and volunteering alternatives can be found, too. Tickets are free and accessible now, however there are supporter choices accessible for assured entry and for many who wish to assist make this occasion financially possible.
I’ll do a broader round-up of the whole lot else occurring that week as we get nearer to the date, however I needed to focus on this occasion now, particularly as I believe it may kickstart the particular environment that WWDC week had in San Francisco and San Jose. I want J’aime and her staff all of the luck with getting this off the bottom!
Dave Verwer 