Tests as a Compass: Navigating Development with BDD and TDD

Do you have an idea for a web app but feel overwhelmed by testing? Are unit tests manageable but end-to-end (e2e) tests seem like a nightmare? Join our hands-on workshop and learn how to test drive the development of a fully features web application with incremental steps . This technical session covers key aspects of modern web app development, including interactive front ends, APIs, background jobs, admin layers, external services, and AI integrations.

We'll guide you through how to set up logical boundaries for testing at various layers, helping you get the most out of application-level tests. You’ll learn how to structure e2e tests around critical business flows and page interactions using accessible tools like Selenium and Cypress. This workshop is designed for developers of all backgrounds, using easy-to-learn languages like JavaScript and Ruby, but the testing principles are applicable to any tech stack.

Led by two experts from diverse career paths, this workshop will resonate whether you’ve come through a formal education route or transitioned from another career. By the end of the session, you'll have a clearer understanding of testing strategies for web apps and how to break down complex testing into manageable, incremental steps.

A11y from Day One: Code for Everyone or Code for No One

With just a browser and built-in web tools, learn how to improve web accessibility through simple HTML changes, making the web more inclusive for all users. This workshop offers a tutorial website with a series of self-paced challenges covering key areas like layout, lists, forms, images, and more. Beyond hands-on coding, participants will explore powerful tools to measure the impact of their changes, gaining a comprehensive understanding of how the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) improve user experiences.

By the end of the workshop, participants will be equipped with actionable tips, practical tools, and useful resources to further their accessibility knowledge. They'll be empowered to share insights with their teams, integrate accessibility into their daily development workflows, and make accessibility-conscious programming decisions in all their future code. Join us in making the web a place where everyone feels welcome and empowered!

10x your teamwork through pair programming

Selena and Michael will take you on a roller coaster journey of how to get started and get the most out of pair programming. Live on stage they will switch from conversational overview straight into acting out various highs, lows, do’s and don’ts of pair-programming collaboration. Laughs and tears are guaranteed as the audience connect on the difficulties and ultimately the rewards that can be reaped from teamwork through effective pairing.

Pair-programming, 2 developers writing code collaboratively with 2 keyboards and 1 computer, might feel weird, foreign, or impossible. With the insights from this talk you will take your pairing to a new level.

## Learning Outcome

engage audience to want to try pairing with their co-developers immediately! demonstrate a tool kit of do’s and don’ts on how to get started with pairing and to allow it to be successful demonstrate various anti patterns in pair programming and how to deal with them demonstrate the advantages of pair-programming and what developers should be striving for

Ruby vs Kickboxer - the state of MRuby, JRuby and CRuby

In the midst of COVID pandemic lockdowns, a Muay Thai kickboxer reached out for the only sparing partner left that she could compete with, Ruby. Is it possible to fight Ruby? Is it possible to create a hardware-sparing robot running Ruby and integrated it across the web to track her training progress as well as verse her coding pair in a battle of real vs virtual fighting? Come on a journey of ups and downs and the state of MRuby for hardware dev, JRuby running on mobile, and CRuby for the backend.

Details
During the lockdown, Selena and Michael missed not only in-person pairing but also Selena's other side passion of Muay Thai Kickboxing and maintaining and extending her State Title. As pairing went remote so did the idea of training in gyms and sparring partners. This is how Selena hatched an idea to build a sparring robot to train and fight against. Given her familiarity with Ruby, she thought that was the logical place to start with a sparring robot. This is how a long journey of ups and downs started that overviews the current state of Hardware development and using MRuby, mobile development using JRuby, and tying it all together on the server with CRuby.

The talk will demonstrate how to get started with MRuby for hardware and what are the limitations as well as benefits of using Ruby. It will touch on what is involved in using JRuby to power Android mobile devices and it will wrap up with a demonstration of a system composed of MRuby, JRuby, and CRuby. Finally, a demonstration of the sparing robot will be performed live on stage - it will be a show not to be missed

Pitch
Selena and Michael have done a number of talks as a duo and bring a lot of energy, laughter, and a different perspective to conference talks.

This talk will cover a getting started guide in MRuby and the current state of JRuby on mobile from a beginner's point of view. As both presenters have recent experience in being beginners with these particular technologies and they paired on these experiences, they are perfectly positioned to share this information with a broad audience and give the audience hope for also diving into these technologies.

Developer Smackdown

You know the drill, there are a lot of fundamentals Developers disagree on. Tabs vs Spaces, GraphQL vs REST, and Majestic Monoliths vs Micro Services - get behind your preferred point of view in this live on-stage, developer vs developer Smackdown!

In this animated presentation, two developers will debate and fight out both sides of various topics. Classics like Tabs vs Spaces to more modern arguments like SQL vs NoSQL, traditional vs new tech, TDD vs shipping written code, and Trunk vs Branches and you end up with quite a review of current practices, with all the pros and cons. There will also be some more nuanced topics like Agile vs Wagile (waterfall agile) and pairing vs soloing.

From two presenters who both worked very closely in a strict pairing, trunk-based development shop and have since converged on new preferences, be ready for a roller coaster of thoughts and arguments as well as some late twists and even a bit of developer comedy. This will be a talk not to be missed.

Failing for the right reason - a fresh look on TDD

Real code, live demo. Get into the nitty-gritty of how to drive out functionality in a modern Rails/Reactjs based web app.

Ever had difficulty writing tests? Don’t know how to identify the unit under test? Find it hard to write tests BEFORE implementation? Join us as we take you on a journey through multilayer outside-in BDD

To scale tests and code, we will run you through the layers of integration testing that matter - from "system flow" specs through "page mechanics" specs that take an individual component through its paces, isolated component tests, API request specs, and everything in between!

Breaking builds and breaking bones

Becoming a software engineer or a professional kickboxer, you’ll run into many obstacles.

As a late-comer to coding, I learned about binary-hex translation and logic gates around 3 months before I learned how to throw a punch. Now I’m a software engineer and a professional kickboxer. Both of which, surprisingly have a lot in common!

This is my story about the struggles and celebrations of a two-year journey from alcohol-fuelled self-destruction to teaching myself how to write code, pursuing a career in software development and learning how to literally break other people’s bones.

This is not a story sugar-coated with glorious moments of success every step of the way, but one of struggle, perseverance, and determination.

Anyone following a dream, wanting to get into software, trying to change their career, just starting out or interested in hearing a story, prepare to be inspired & learn that failures will help you to ultimately succeed!