Java, Friends, and Cold Weather: My Adventure at ConFoo Conference

I attended the ConFoo conference in Montreal, which covered a range of technologies like cloud computing, Java and JVM technologies, Javascript, DevOps, architecture and design patterns, PHP, security, test and quality, management, UX and UI, and more.

The conference took place over three days at the Bonaventure Hotel in Montreal, but I could only attend on the second day.

To make it possible, I requested the organizers schedule both of my talks on the same day, so I could fly in from Toronto in the morning and leave in the evening. I was grateful to them for accommodating my request.

However, the weather was brutally cold, with a negative temperature. Unfortunately, due to time constraints and bad weather, I did not have the opportunity to explore the beautiful city that I had always wanted to visit.

I presented two talks on Java and JVM technologies. The first one was titled "Your code on the Fastlane: catch up with everyone," where I presented the newer additions to Java after Java 8 and 9.

The talk explained various features, including pattern matching and Record patterns, and demonstrated how we can improve code quality and help developers write clear and concise code.

The other talk was on "Java Virtual Threads to Deliver Improved Throughput," which discussed how virtual threads can improve the throughput of Java server-side applications and reshape the future of Java.

I was fortunate to have a great audience who interacted with me, and I received valuable feedback that will help me improve my future talks.

I missed attending other presentations but met some old and new friends, including Java champions Ken Fogel, Pratik Patel, and Henri Tremblay, whom I knew only online but finally met in person. Ken Fogel lives in Montreal, and we had a great conversation where he shared his talk with me about the Java microbenchmark.

Later, I met Pratik Patel, and we chatted about our work and ended up coming up with the idea of organizing a conference in Toronto soon. It was a fruitful discussion, and I hope to catch up with them again at some other conference in the future.

The trip was short but nice, and I hope to attend the conference next year, God willing, and maybe get an invitation to speak again.

My flight was delayed several times due to the weather, and I was exhausted when it finally took off around 10 p.m.

Overall, it was an excellent experience that allowed me to learn and network with other professionals in my field.