To be "about the code", you need programming languages – and there are lots of talks on programming languages at the NDC this year. It all kicks off with Amanda Laucher’s introduction to .NET’s premier functional programming language F#. If you get hooked by her introduction, you might as well sit tight for when she takes you deep diving into advanced topics in F#.
After lunch you can sharpen up for Neal Gafter and Eric "The human compiler" Lippert’s C# Puzzlers. I’ve had the pleasure of hearing Neal do a similar talk on Java puzzlers back when he worked for Sun Microsystems and it was both funny and educational.
The language ride continues with the ugly duckling of programming languages; JavaScript, as Scott Allen takes us "Inside modern JavaScript" and reveals how this little language has grown up a beautiful swan.
I don’t know any Java programmers who can live without the JodaTime API. At the NDC, Jon Skeet introduces us to Joda’s .NET cousin NodaTime. Join this session to learn how dates and times can have a little language of their own.
Finally, you might want to round off day one with HTML wiz Remy Sharp’s talk on HTML5 which will bring programming back to front end development.
On the second day of the conference, you can start the day by geeking out on one of the most esoteric features in C# with Jon Skeet or you can get hip was Scott Bellware introduces .NET developers to Ruby. More Ruby follows as Ben Hall takes you to the brave new world of IronRuby.
After lunch Harald Fianbakken shows you how IKVM lets you run Java code on the .NET CLR and explains how you can leverage this to bridge code between languages who once where "fierce enemies".
Towards the end of day two we’ve got a massive C# all star line up starting of with Senior Program Manager for the C# design team, Mads Torgersen’s talk on C# in the Big World. The walking C# reference book Jon Skeet follows with his visions for the design of C# 5.0 before Mads Torgersen, Eric Lippert and Neil Gafter joins in for a lively free form discussion on the future of C#. NDC has worked hard to bring these luminaries together, and this is a once in a lifetime opportunity to take part in the future of C#.
After two intense days of great, unique talks on all things programming and the wicked NDC attendee party your excused if your eyes have taken on a ruby red color. In fact, that’s just perfect for day three at the NDC with lots of sessions on Ruby on .NET.
The author of IronRuby Unleashed, Shay Friedman, opens with a talk on practical uses of IronRuby.
At lunch time you’ll get the chance to discuss all things Ruby with Scott Bellware, Rob Conery, Shay Friedman, Ben Hall and Anders Norås at the informal NDC Ruby meetup.
With your newfound Ruby knowledge onboard, you got many things to choose from towards the end of the conference. Shay shows you how to run the popular web framework Ruby on Rails with IronRuby and Ben Hall shows you a the Ruby way of testing .NET code using Cucumber and RSpec.
If Ruby isn’t your thing, why not stop by Fredrik Kalseth’s talk on aspect oriented programming? Here you’ll learn new ways and techniques for handling cross cutting concerns in C# by extending the core features of the language.
NDC 2010 isn’t "all about the code". There are lots of talks on other topics such as agile practices, software craftsmanship, testing, web development and much more. But, if you’re "all about the code" we’re all about you. You’ll find lots of unique, engaging and inspiring talks on many different programming languages at this year.
You don’t want to miss this.
by Anders Norås
