Dev Talks

Join us for an afternoon of high-level dev talks focused around today's trending problem solving tools and innovative solutions. Fifteen dev experts will tell you about some of their own real world scenarios and the tools and languages they're using.

We will have three rooms with different focuses in each room. Whether you want to hear a talk about back-end, front-end, cleaning code or you have been dying to listen a speaker we have, you will have the opportunity to choose your own schedule throughout the day and do it all. Check out our theme rooms below:

• Tactical - This room will include talks on live coding and company case studies.
• Process - This is where we'll have talks on project management and cleaning code.
• Big Ideas - This will be a mix of talks that will discuss the newest and most innovative concepts and ideas happening in the dev community.

Agenda

• 2:00 PM - Registration, Snacks & Networking
• 2:45 PM - Welcoming Remarks
• 3:00 PM - Program Begins
• 4:30 PM - BREAK
• 5:00 PM - Program Resumes
• 6:00 PM - Program Ends

Presentation Descriptions to date:

TACTICAL TALKS

3:00 - 3:30PM

Livin’ on the edge: Increasing web application performance through edge caching with Jason Matthews, Sr. Solutions Architect at Turn5, Inc.

We all know about application caching and browser caching, and how they can be leveraged to increase web application performance. This session will focus on the lesser known tool referred to as “edge caching”. This strategy can be used whether your application is cutting edge, or a legacy platform from which you’re trying to squeeze a bit more life and performance. We will go over what it is, when to use it, and what you need to consider when planning your implementation. This will be an interactive session so please bring questions.

3:30 - 4:00PM

RevZilla supercharges analytics in AWS using Snowflake, the data warehouse built for the cloud with Matt Kull, CEO at RevZilla

Hear from RevZilla CEO Matt Kull as he explains how they quickly and efficiently analyze all of their data sources on a daily basis using Snowflake on AWS. Revzilla is able to store and analyze structured and semi-structured (JSON) data sources side-by-side, transforming data in minutes instead of hours or days.

4:00 - 4:30PM

Xamarin fits Native with Dave Voyles, Senior Technical Evangelist for Microsoft and Tarika Chawla, Software Developer for Point.io

This talk will cover the features of Xamarin, an open source platform to build Android and iOS native apps. This talk will unfold how Xamarin cover all the basics of native Xcode and Android Studio into one platform to make Developer's life easier to build native apps using C#. Learn to build Android and iOS Developer using one platform without learning Swift , Objective-C or Java. This talk will also include new Xamarin features such as Xamarin forms.

5:00 - 5:30PM

Visual Regression Testing: How Could You Be So Sure? with TJ Nicolaides, Director, Development at Think Company

Visual regression testing can help cut down on QA time and effort while adding a level of precision to pattern development and stylesheet refactoring. Are you dedicating valuable mental energy towards manually testing for unexpected defects in the parts of the app where you're not actively working? Do you find it hard to believe that this kind of information could be ascertained simply by looking at a picture? Come review case studies geared towards front-end and full-stack developers seeking to incorporate frameworks like PhantomCSS, BackstopJS, or Wraith into their testing toolkit.

5:30 - 6:00PM

Getting the most out of JavaScript (without using JavaScript) with Dave Ramirez, Application Development Specialist at Thomas Jefferson University & Jefferson Health

There are several reasons for wanting to dip into native code in a JavaScript application. Maybe you want to maximize performance for a critical section of your app by utilizing an existing C++ library. Or, maybe you want to run your code in a browser but don’t want to (or can’t) port to JavaScript. The NodeJS and JavaScript communities offer several ways of interfacing with native code and each approach is best suited to certain use cases. We will take a look at some of these approaches, including WebAssembly and native C/C++ NodeJS addons, while discovering the pros and cons of each.

PROCESS TALKS

3:00 - 3:30PM

Better development through documentation: How proper requirements changed our lives with Frank Lee, Director of Back End Development at The Archer Group

As your team and your company grow the phrase “It should work like X” stops being an effective way to communicate requirements. In this talk we will discuss the steps you can take to transition your requirements from vague bullet points in an e-mail to functional, testable requirements – and why everyone should be doing this. Please bring your questions!

3:30 - 4:00PM

Cost in the Cloud: Designing for the Dollar Dimension with Tom Sprows, Software Engineering Manager at HomeNet

When was the last time you considered how much it would cost to host your application? Developers are often isolated from infrastructure costs when designing software, but as companies rush to move their applications to the cloud it is easy to miss the dollar dimension. Tom will describe his journey moving to AWS over the past year, citing different examples of how HomeNet learned to think differently and design applications to take advantage of cost optimization.

4:00 - 4:30PM

Building a Customer Support Solution for the Social Commerce Revolution with Amanda Li, Tech Lead and Software Engineer at Venmo

5:00 - 5:30PM

Communication - Coming out of the Basement with Courtney Christian, Software Developer and Paulina Gallo, Software Developer at Webjunto

We will share how we contribute to our company's process as developers that are able to be computer facing and client facing. And why it's so important for the future of tech.

#5:30 - 6:00PM

Our Journey to Business Value at Startup Speed with Dennis Becton, Senior Architect Manager, Vanguard

Join Senior Architect Manager Dennis Becton as he details Vanguard’s journey towards modernizing software development with an eye towards delivering business value at startup speed. But… Be prepared and come ready to engage, this will be a ‘choose your own adventure’ type discussion around software development, cloud, Lean Enterprise, and true Agile practices, rather than your everyday monologue.

BIG IDEA TALKS

3:00 - 3:30PM

SIMPL - A Python/Django/React framework for creating simulations with Jane Eisenstein, Senior Applications Developer and Joseph Lee, Senior Technical Project Manager at Wharton's Alfred West Junior Learning Lab

Using the latest/greatest JS frameworks, SIMPL utilizes React/Redux/WAMP, and more to build a framework that allows single and multiplayer simulations to be developed. We will present on how our framework was developed and how it will enable the next generation of classroom simulations to be created. We're going Open Source with the platform and we'd love to encourage other devs to take a look at this exciting technology stack! More info on SIMPL can be found on our blog, here.

3:30 - 4:00PM

Developing the Future of Civic Engagement with Pat Woods, Communications Lead at Code for Philly

Interested in using technology skills as a means of civic engagement with your government and fellow citizens? This talk will provide examples of how citizens have harnessed technology to better engage with their local government and their community, and what role each stakeholder has in helping. We will also discuss steps that you can take to start contributing to civic tech projects before the day is over.

4:00 - 4:30PM

A Health Hack: Optimizing Your System for Performance with Timothy Wenhold, CTO at Power Home Remodeling

If you learned about a new method to optimize your queries, would you try it? If there was a proven way to implement your systems to guarantee long-term up-time, would you test it? If these solutions were open source, would you love it?

5:00 - 5:30PM

Making TV Mobile with ❤️ in Philadelphia with Sean Brown, Executive Director, Advanced Applications Engineering at Comcast

5:30 - 6:00PM

Explaining the "dark web" with Roger Dingledine, President and co-founder of the Tor Project

Following this event, we will host a Dev Happy Hour to give you the chance to mingle with the Philadelphia tech community!