#T3CRR - Perfect TYPO3camp at Unperfekthaus
For the seventh time: TYPO3camp RheinRuhr in Essen. We report on an extraordinary event.
Once again, we supported the TYPO3camp Rhein-Ruhr as a platinum sponsor. Jochen, Jürgen, Stefan and Wolfgang took the opportunity for further training and networking within the TYPO3 community.
What does participating in a TYPO3camp mean to you?
Jochen:
TYPO3camps show how lively and diverse the community is. Unlike conferences, the program is much more spontaneous and flexible. Anyone can ask for and offer topics. Sometimes the rooms are overcrowded, other times 3-4 participants discuss on a sofa, just as it suits them. The TYPO3 Barcamps are also the perfect opportunity to get a taste of TYPO3 and make contacts.
Jürgen:
Maintain contacts not only with the TYPO3 disciples, often customers are also at a TYPO3camp and can be met in person. Further training, discussions and talks at various levels are best at an informal barcamp.
Stefan:
Many TYPO3 enthusiasts with a wide variety of TYPO3 questions and levels of knowledge come together. I can talk face to face with the community and answer questions. Since there are always TYPO3 experts and core developers on site, I am all the more pleased that even my questions can be answered. There is simply no such thing as "Write it on Slack", "Look it up on Stack Overflow" or "RTFM!" here. Instead, you will be helped with understanding for your situation.
Wolfgang:
Training is of course a very important factor. However, this is not necessarily limited to TYPO3. At every camp, there are always topics that are only indirectly related to TYPO3, or perhaps not at all. Nevertheless, these topics can be important for our work (or for you personally!).
The second big factor is, of course, the community! It's simply fun to meet up with old friends and acquaintances at the camps who may live in completely different parts of the world and who you therefore rarely see. And it's always great to meet new people who may even be coming into contact with the TYPO3 community for the first time
Well-filled room for session planning on Sunday
In terms of the location. What do you particularly remember?
Jochen:
The location in the Unperfekthaus in Essen is very original - and perhaps also takes some getting used to. It feels a bit like a large artists' flat share. But that also contributes to the atmosphere of the event. You can tell by the many details: the organizing team has been working well together for years and the event is well planned.
Jürgen:
I was there for the first time, of course I really wanted to get to know the famous Unperfekthaus location. I wasn't promised too much - on the contrary. The organization was really good and perfectly coordinated.
Stefan:
The location is very playful and creatively designed. Mood lights built into urinals, funny paintings in the stairwell and lamps made from Barbie dolls are just a few of the things I remember. There's always a session slot that you skip to chat with colleagues from the community. The UpH is a great place to combine this with the food on offer throughout the day.
Wolfgang:
The Unperfekthaus is something special that I haven't experienced anywhere else in this form. I can only recommend that everyone should take the time to look at the house in peace and quiet. There is a lot to discover in the rooms of the various artists! Unfortunately I didn't make it myself this year, the sessions were too good for that.
I also think it's very good that there isn't a fixed lunch break like at other camps. At the Unperfekthaus you get something to eat almost all the time, so you can choose when you want to take a break. That makes the situation very relaxed. I hate standing in line at a buffet waiting for my turn ;)
Which session/talk did you particularly like?
Jochen:
I didn't miss a single session slot and there were many good contributions. The presentation by Norbert Sendetzky (Aimeos) on creating and testing responsive emails was very interesting, as the differences in the display in the various email programs are much more complex than in browsers. I also enjoyed the session by Tom Maroschek (DFAU) on web components. Using the example of Polymer, he showed how some technologies appear, change and then disappear again. With lit-html, the development now seems to be stabilizing.
Jürgen:
I enjoyed all the sessions I attended. The two sessions by Thomas Löffler, Basic and Extended Git/Gitlab, were very informative. Patrick Schriner's session on the staticfilecache extension was also great.
Stefan:
The "Extbase API" session by Alexander Schnitzler. After all, Extbase is the most widely used framework for creating extensions for TYPO3. This makes it all the more important to educate developers and interested parties about work on and in the Extbase framework. In a double session, Alexander went into all the changes and showed how he envisions the future of Extbase and which APIs will be removed or changed from Extbase in the future.
Wolfgang:
It's difficult to pick out one talk here, because all the ones I was able to attend were actually very good.
But Patrick's talk on the "staticfilecache" extension was definitely very interesting. I had already looked at this extension a few years ago, but for some reason I couldn't get it to work back then. However, I will definitely take a closer look at it again.
Mario's session on "YouTube Marketing" was also very interesting. Even though there wasn't that much new for me, it was good to hear some things again and I found Mario's experiences in actively setting up his YouTube channel particularly interesting.
Karen's talk about the effects of the GDPR and how she deals with it and works with it as an external data protection officer for various clients was also very informative.
Why would you want to come back next year?
Jochen:
If the date fits, we will definitely be back next year and will also support the event as a sponsor.
Jürgen:
This TYPO3camp has left a very positive impression on me and I would very much like to take part next year if nothing comes up.
Stefan:
The TYPO3camp takes place almost on my doorstep. I am an absolute fan of this location, the food, drinks and the location. One step outside the door and you're in the middle of the city center. The organization in the background is awesome and every now and then you stumble across a TYPO3 core developer or an employee of TYPO3 GmbH, where you can ask your questions personally.
Wolfgang:
The camp in November is usually the last TYPO3 event of the year for me and therefore also a perfect end to the "TYPO3 year". If at all possible, I certainly won't miss it.
What topic were you interested in before the camp and was your question answered?
Jürgen:
I didn't have a specific topic in advance.
Stefan:
As a developer, I have to keep an eye on all changes in the TYPO3 core. I was very happy about the sessions of Andreas Fernandez (JS in the backend), Susanne Moog (Service Container) and Alexander Schnitzler (Extbase API), who dealt with exactly this topic.
Wolfgang:
Not really a technical topic, but rather the question: where is TYPO3 going? Are we reaching enough new people who use the system, whether as editors or developers? And the high proportion of TYPO3 newcomers shows that we are not in such a bad position, I think. It is now the task of the "old hands" to pick up the new TYPO3 users at these events and to offer topics that are not only of interest to long-time hardcore developers.
Who did you have the coolest TYPO3 conversation with and what was it about?
Jochen:
The discussion with Luana and Daniel from DFAU about the Toujou homepage construction kit based on TYPO3.
Jürgen:
All conversations with customers, freelancers and partner companies were very informative and cool.
Stefan:
I still remember a conversation with Alexander Schnitzler and Armin Vieweg. It was about DCE, extension upgrades and working on the core. But of course also about this year's vacation destinations ;-)
Wolfgang:
Similar to T3CON: a conversation with a participant who found his way into TYPO3 through my videos and discovered his enthusiasm for the system. That's why I make these videos! That makes me very happy and also confirms that what I'm doing is worthwhile.
TYPO3 is constantly evolving. Which change are you most excited about?
Jochen:
In recent years, processes, functions and interfaces have become better and better. No other system offers the flexibility for multilingual websites. The consistent adherence to PHP standards makes the system future-proof.
Jürgen:
That TYPO3 is becoming more and more secure and stable.
Stefan:
I still remember how I tried to integrate Symfony into TYPO3 years ago and I had given up this dream due to the complexity. I am all the more pleased that the core has managed to integrate various Symfony packages into TYPO3. I really need to take a look at the documentation on service containers and the new event handling.
Wolfgang:
Not only are new features being added, but work is also continuing to make the system even more stable and secure. That's not necessarily a change, but it's something I really like.
The camp shirt logo is Lego bricks. What does that mean to you in relation to the community?
Jochen:
There are a number of analogies. Anyone can put together their own web project from individual building blocks, from a simple page to very complex structures. Everything fits together and yet each project is individual. Endless possibilities!
Jürgen:
For me it means the TYPO3 community, who all work enthusiastically with and on TYPO3.
Stefan:
I've already written above that I didn't manage to implement Symfony in TYPO3 on my own. Instead, several developers have joined forces ("joined forces" could be misunderstood) to integrate this mega complex topic into the core. When we work together, we can accomplish anything and achieve great things.
Wolfgang:
TYPO3 is not just one product, it is the sum of many individual parts. The community is TYPO3.
