Posted by ShortCurl on October 23, 2008 at 8:41pm
I'm looking for some advice. I've been using Drupal for ~4 years now. I am only a user, I haven't taken the plunge into coding or documenting. I know that I should, I am just over-committed as it is!
My question is, as someone that just USES Drupal, is DrupalCon for me?
I'd love to hear what you think, and perhaps I'll get to meet some of you @ DrupalCon DC (my current hometown!)
Thanks!
Comments
hi, I can't speak for
hi, I can't speak for drupalcon DC, but all the drupal events I've been to have been great and I learn something new. I don't really code either - only at last resort, so I'm more of a user/admin. at the drupal events I've been to they usually have sessions where they go through different modules or people talk about how they implemented something, which then gives you an idea of the (many!) ways you can solve a requirement in drupal. it's even just handy to find out about the different contrib modules because sometimes the descriptions don't tell you how you could use them. (or perhaps I don't read them well enough :)
like the one I went to last weekend I found out people are using drupal as an application too not just a website/blog. eg creating csv files for different work departments to import into open office/excel, and creating invoices/reports etc. not sure why I didn't think of this but it's a great use of it and I could probably use this too.
I wrote up notes from the beginners/users room if anyone's interested - there's recorded audio too if u have time & want to relive the day : http://www.aliak.com/content/drupal-camp-sydney-18102008
they had a developers room and will be posting the audio on the Australia groups site shortly.
also, they usually go into the themes which is what I should really work on again - years ago I had previously tried changing css tags manually using text editor one at a time & always missed something so got bored doing it, but they showed how easy it is to do using CSS Edit - which lets you see the changes visually & selects/identifies the areas. so I might even try it again now. and the cck/panels/views sessions were really useful too - I implemented these on one of my sites in one night after seeing it done in the sessions. I didn't realise there were so many people / web builders using it these days either! I've been out of the loop. it's great to see!! some guys were dreamweaver/fusion static site building businesses and they've moved over to drupal for about 95% of their sites. that's pretty cool I think!
plus one of the best things is just talking to other people there to see what they do and how they use it. so if you can go, I'd suggest going along!
kath
http://www.AliaK.com
http://www.AliaK.com
Totally!
Drupalcon has a variety of sessions from the very basics up to how to contribute to Drupal.org and cutting edge development proposals.
If you can financially wait until the session proposals have been finalized, you can see exactly the topics that will be reviewed. In the mean time, though, you can see the sessions that have been proposed to get a gist of what people like to see presented at Drupalcon.
However... useful sessions or no, being around everyone is awesome. I went by myself, and had a few moments where I was wondering around with nothing to do or anyone to talk to. So, you know what I did? I would just find a group of people talking and sit down next to them! (I even sat down and talked with KarenS at one point without a clue of who she was! haha) Everyone was really nice, and hearing what people had to talk about was great. I even went out with a new group of people every night.
I was going to Drupalcons
I was going to Drupalcons before I was even into the project. :) They're totally worth going to - you'll meet a lot of really cool people who share a passion for one of the same things you do. Plus, as a rule, they're really cool people. You'll make tons of connections, and there's still nothing like having a face and a voice to put with the name on irc or drupalchix:)
Yes, yes, yes, 1000x yes
If you do anything with Drupal, or have even heard the name, you should come to Drupalcon. You get to learn about the newest, hottest modules directly from the people who built them, you get to see what's coming down the pipe, you get to see how other people built huge crazy Drupal sites, and there are tutorial sessions for learning how to do things like theming, module development, and getting involved in the larger community.
There will probably be some stuff that's over your head -- there certainly always is for me :) -- but you'll be shocked and amazed at how kind and down to earth everyone is, and willing to help each other learn. Even if you don't find sessions that sound immediately relevant to you now, chances are at least some of them will be down the road. I also find that some of my best learning has taken place in the more informal "Birds of a Feather" sessions, which is smaller, more interactive groups of people sitting around a table discussing about some topic.
So yes! COME! :D Drupalcon is an amazing experience and you simply can't pass up a chance to come by in your home town! :)
A 1,000,000x yes!
I always like to one-up webchick :)
But seriously, please do attend! We all want to meet all of you. Really!
And like webchick said, don't worry about whether you're "ready" or "experienced enough". You'll learn a ton just by being around everyone. And you'll hear about things you didn't know anything about -- new modules, better ways of doing things, etc etc (I always learn about lots of things that turn out to be really useful later).
And it's a blast, you'll be glad you did.
Advice taken
Thank you all for your comments and words of encouragement! Your input, coupled with a lengthly conversation with my husband last night that started 'you know you want to go' and had several 'you USE it all the time' and you 'spend hours playing', has ended with this decision I will be attending Drupalcon DC!
I look forward to getting a chance to meet you, learn from you and hopefully even work with you!
I think I'll be spending the coming months brushing up on a lot of Drupaleze so that I am not hopelessly lost - sitting in a corner blowing spit bubbles!
One final question, I'm thinking of buying myself a MacBook. I'm a Windows SysAdmin by day; so the thought has me breaking into a cold sweat of sorts. Would this be a good idea? I can't seem to get a good work environment setup on my PC - and perhaps it's because I never sit down with the appropriate amount of time required to read through all of the various documentation available.
Thanks again and I look forward to seeing everyone in March 2009!
get a Mac, of course!
I converted my husband from the dark side long ago, you're next!
Seriously, I've used both platforms for my whole professional life (working in corporations and with printers and designers) and I still don't grasp why anyone who can choose, would choose PC. I see a lot of Macs at Drupal gatherings/events - maybe the majority.
There are also a lot of Mac-only free/shareware tools out there for freelance, small business stuff.
Jean Gazis
www.jeangazis.com
www.webhostny.com
Jean Gazis
www.jeangazis.com
www.webhostny.com
Get one!
My 2c about your Macbook question: I am a Windows sysadmin by day too and a long time Linux user. I recently took a graphic design program in which they were very anti-PC (and have no clue what Linux is), the environment was totally Mac. I had previously used Macs in school but hadn't touched one in years, but I found them really easy to use and intuitive. I resisted at first and tried to work on my PC instead but I couldn't get it to perform as well as the Mac, mostly because PCs have a ton of overhead (anti-virus, firewalls, spyware detectors) and so Macs tend to be more nimble - they load programs and close them faster and are able to do more things at once, and Mac OSX is built on a Unix platform and it gives you access to a terminal window! If you get parallels you can run Windows programs too. Stuff just works and installing programs is as simple as dragging the install file to the applications folder. Although the price is higher, I'm happy I chose to get a Macbook instead of a PC laptop. :)
Me too: I can recommend it
I still don't grasp why anyone who can choose, would choose PCsame answer from me not being an admin, but have been using both OS for over 15 years.
If you are stuck with MacOS just remember: just try to be open minded, don't stick to the old thinking. Try to think like somebody who does not know windows.
I see a lot of Macs at Drupal gatheringsMy experience too. Not only designers but also coders are using it and it is a growing community. So help will be near if needed. And if there is an Apple Store go and visit it. They will help you. Just a few weeks ago I was able to visit one for the first time: in Zurich. It was great-
And, yes, I enjoyed being at a DrupalCon even though I had just startet to learn about Drupal two months earlier. Enjoyed my time with the people there in Barcelona. So my recommendation too: Go there, especailly since it is so near in your home town.
Sorry I cannot come because it is too far away. So in the meantime I like listening to this group.
Enjoy it.
Bettina
I skate to where the puck is going to be, not to where it's been. (Wayne Gretsky)
. . .
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Bettina
Don't Follow Trends: Set Them!
https://drupal-training.de
https://www.skool.com/drupal/about
Enjoy Drupalcon!
I recently got a MacBook and love it, though I'm still a big fan of ubuntu. As for windows, I only have a windows PC so I can test things in IE. :)
You should definitely go to Drupalcon if you can. I went to my first con in Szeged and it was fantastic. I'd recommend going to everyone, regardless of your Drupal-tise. I'd really love to go to DC, but I think I'm going to have to wait for the next one in Europe. Have fun without me!