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J2EE and beyond

Impressions from the "No Fluff, Just Stuff" Java Symposium

By Michael Juntao Yuan, JavaWorld.com, 03/14/03

Launched in 2001 from Denver Colo., the "No Fluff, Just Stuff" (NFJS) Java Symposium series is quickly becoming the hottest training conference among Java developers all over the country. Distinguishing itself from megaconferences such as JavaOne, the NFJS conference limits attendance; does not require time off from work; costs a fraction of JavaOne; and claims to focus on the technology rather than any commercial product. Touted as the technology conference with the highest signal-to-noise and quality-to-price ratios, NFJS is now offered in 15 US cities.

Does it really live up to the hype? For those of us who do attend the conference, what are the latest trends and tools we learn? With those questions in mind, in February 2003, I attended the Austin, Texas version of the NFJS conference: the Lone Star Software Symposium. I had a great time there.

Developer-focused conference

Updating skill sets represents one of the biggest reasons why developers should attend technology conferences. With the uncertain future of any specific technology platform and the irreversible trend of overseas outsourcing, developers themselves are responsible for diversifying their skill sets and moving up the value chains to stay employable. With leading experts, informal sessions, and diverse topics, the NFJS conference provides an excellent format and environment for learning new skill sets.

Industry leading experts

The NFJS conferences feature an impressive list of expert speakers, including best-selling authors, Apache project contributors, and leading local software consultants. They speak on a variety of topics focused on J2EE (Java 2 Platform, Enterprise Edition), open source, and agile software development. The inclusion of local talents certainly helps bring diversity and fresh perspectives to the conference. In fact, some of the best sessions I attended were presented by local speakers.

Formality matters

As most of us have experienced in large trade shows, ballroom sessions with more than 1,000 people are one-way communication channels not much different from television broadcasts. The NFJS conference limits its attendance to 200 people, and the Austin conference had less. With four parallel sessions at any given time, the controlled attendance number ensures a high level of speaker-audience interaction not seen in most other conferences.