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by eridius 4456 days ago
Apple doesn't give away free stuff at WWDC (besides incidentals like tee-shirts, jackets, and bags). WWDC is valuable for 3 reasons:

1. All the information. This has historically been very important, but Apple's getting faster and faster at putting out videos these days, so if you just want the sessions, you can save a lot of money by watching them from home. 2. Direct access to Apple engineers in the labs. Depending on your needs, this can either be irrelevant, or it can be priceless. 3. Networking. A lot of people at WWDC don't even bother going to a session every time slot and instead wander the halls talking to people (plus all the time set aside for socializing, such as lunch, after hours, and the few minutes in the halls between sessions).
1 comments
Aqua_Geek 4456 days ago
The problem with the labs is that the slots fill fast and you end up waiting in line for hours behind developers asking the most basic of questions. I really wish they'd do two conferences — one for those new to the platform and another that would be a deep dive for the experienced devs.
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collias 4456 days ago
Sometimes, the labs are completely useless anyway. I had a question about masking text glyphs to CGPaths with the new UITextKit stuff last year. I stood in line for an hour and a half to ask my question.

I sat down with an Apple engineer who did not have a firm grasp on the English language, and he pulled out his laptop and googled my question right in front of me. He clicked the first Stack Overflow post, saw it didn't have the answer I was looking for, and sent me on my way.

Words cannot describe the rage I had at that moment.

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eridius 4455 days ago
Was that an engineer, or an intern? Interns often staff labs, but they're usually taught that anything beyond an introductory question warrants seeking out the appropriate experienced engineer and introducing the developer to them. Heck, even real engineers who simply don't have expertise in the area know how to find the right person who does have the appropriate expertise.

Googling or using Stack Overflow to answer someone's question is simply wrong. Even if it was a really basic introductory question.

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