[jsr-314-open] Quebec Trip report

[Kito Mann]

Hey David, thanks for the synopsis. Very encouraging :-).
---
Kito D. Mann | twitter: kito99 | Author, JSF in Action
Virtua, Inc. | http://www.virtua.com | JSF/Java EE training and consulting
http://www.JSFCentral.com - JavaServer Faces FAQ, news, and info |
twitter: jsfcentral
+1 203-404-4848 x3

JSF Summit Conference Dec 1st-4th in Orlando: http://www.jsfsummit.com




On Thu, Dec 10, 2009 at 11:12 AM, David Geary
<clarity.training at gmail.com> wrote:
> I just got done with two days of training in Quebec City (you can follow my
> exploits, if you're interested, at twitter.com/davidgeary). The first day
> was advanced JSF 1.2, and I watched students' eyes glaze over as I covered
> the complexities of custom components, renderers, converters, and
> validators. Java code, XML configuration, encoding, decoding, etc. -- you
> know the drill. One of the developers had used Rails, and he looked
> downright depressed. But I knew day 2 would be different. Oh yeah.
>
> Because day 2 was all JSF 2, and it was an entirely different story. I
> started with an overview of the new features in JSF 2, and then dove deeply
> into Facelets, templates, composite components, and Ajax. Students were
> blown away. Blown. Away.
>
> What was a fairly sullen group on day one turned into a rambunctious group
> of excited developers on day two. Could they use JSF with WebLogic 10? they
> wanted to know. What about RichFaces, when will that support JSF 2?, they
> asked. Until we upgrade to JSF 2, can we do this templating stuff with the
> open source version of Facelets?. The Rails guy was all smiles. This is
> pretty cool, eh? I said (eh, if you don't know, is Canadian for hunh). Oh
> yeah, they said. Oh yeah.
>
> As I was covering JSF 2, I could feel the excitement building in the room.
> Lots of smiles, lots of laughter, and excited chatting and whispers in the
> incredibly beautiful language that is Quebec French, between students. It
> was really phenomenal.
>
> Early in the morning, the blizzard started. I'm teaching class, and, out the
> window, snow is coming down like hell, in all different directions because
> of the fierce winds that accompanied a major snowstorm that dumped nearly a
> foot of snow on the ground during class. I started out with 11 students, and
> by the time I finished class at the end of the day, I had ... 10 students!
> I'm telling you, those guys were mesmerized by JSF 2. Even though the
> weather gave them good reason to leave class early, only one guy, who had
> kids that he had to pick up because les ecoles etait fermer, left class
> early.
>
> I got done with the material, and told them that they were free to go, that
> they probably should go because of the storm, but that I'd be happy to
> answer questions, and even with the intense blizzard raging outside, they
> all stuck around for another 1/2 hour, brainstorming with me about how they
> could upgrade from 1.2 to 2.0, given their current situation.
>
> For me, this training, unlike any other I've ever done, was almost a
> religious experience. For us, it's validation that all the hard work we've
> put into JSF 2 is paying off.
>
> A bientot,
>
>
> david
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>