DevConf 2020

 January 27, 2020 -  Brno, CZ

As it happened at other times in my life, I managed to be present at DevConf. DevConf is one of the best conferences that I attend. The reasons are many and varied, starting from the location that I find relatively stress-free. Another reason is the fact that there are many different kinds of sessions, and many sessions are not overcrowded, so it is relatively simple to participate in any session you would like to.

This year, I chose to participate in many container and security sessions, since this is what I mostly work with nowadays, as probably pretty much anyone in the industry.

I was surprised by the fact that lately is easier to find at conferences (and sometimes even at keynotes) conversations that are on non-technical aspects of a technical person’s life, such as time management, stress management, burnouts, and mental health in general. I think this is important for the industry since this is a clear sign that is maturing. Thinking that a technical person is just a technician that only needs technical information might work in the short term, but it ends up badly if companies and communities don’t accept that they are persons in the first place.

As for technical, non-containers topics, I’ve seen many, but the one that was most interesting to me was the session about Fedora Modularity and its problems. I think it was interesting because the speakers pointed out some excellent points (even though not always politely exposed or explained), and the reactions of the crowd showed in the Q&A moment were mixed on some points. I hope the conversation around Fedora Modularity will continue, and the Modularity initiative will change to address better the needs that should aim to resolve.