PostgreSQL Meets Ruby in Switzerland

It was my absolute pleasure to speak at Helvetic Ruby in Bern, Switzerland on 24 November 2023. It was a day of firsts: 

• my first interaction with the Ruby community
• the first conference organised by this team
• the first Ruby conference in Switzerland

I enjoyed the whole experience so much that I want to tell you all about it and encourage you to add the 2024 edition to your calendar as soon as the date's announced. 

 

The videos of the day are online so you can watch them at your leisure.

So, why would a "Postgres Person" with absolutely no Ruby knowledge attend a Ruby conference? Let me give you a few reasons! 

H

is for Hana Harencarova, Dimiter Petrov and Mario Schüttel

If you didn't know, you would never guess that this was the first conference organised by these three amazing people; everything ran smoothly and the atmosphere was extremely friendly and welcoming.

E 

is for Enthusiasm

Someone that I was chatting to commented on the way my eyes light up when I start talking about databases, and particularly about my role as a Senior Solutions Architect at Crunchy Data. I really am passionate about what I do. I noticed the same light in other attendee's eyes when I asked them to tell me about the projects they're working on. It's hard not to be swept up by that kind of enthusiasm!

L 

is for "Love for Postgres"

Every single hand in the room went up when I asked "who's using Postgres?" and I had some great conversations in the breaks with people who use Postgres and just wanted to chat about it.

V 

is for Variety

The programme was varied, catering to beginners and seasoned developers alike, as well as people like me who aren't developers at all, and kept everyone interested for the whole day.

E 

is for Expanded horizons

It's very easy to stay in our comfort zone, but it's so important to get a different outlook on things from time to time. I love my usual PostgreSQL events, but I also really enjoy expanding my horizons and interacting with a whole new set of people at other types of events.  

T 

is for Talk Title and Topic

I chose the topic "How to keep your database happy" for my talk. I shared some tips to help keep your database running smoothly and performing well.  The people that I've interacted with at developer conferences over the past year or so have all been really enthusiastic about Postgres, but don't necessarily have much experience or knowledge about how to manage it. There seems to be a real demand for beginner-level Postgres talks.

I 

is for Informative

All of the talks were of a really high quality and I learnt a lot during the day. The audience seemed to listen intently to all of the talks, so it seems that everyone felt the same way.

C 

is for Community (and Chocolate)

I had previously spent, and very much enjoyed, time with people in the Python and Django community and I've now had the pleasure to meet some of the Ruby community. I can say that they are some of the nicest people I've met. They are passionate about sharing knowledge in a welcoming, friendly and inclusive environment.

There was also (lots of) chocolate - this was in Switzerland, after all!

R

is for Raia

Raia's talk/performance may be my favourite ever conference talk, and it was definitely the perfect choice to keep everyone pinned to their seats until the end of the day. Live-coding accompanied by Raia's amazing live vocals.

U 

is for Users

It's easy, as a database person, to forget that there are real developers and end users out there using our preciously-guarded database systems! It's very good to be reminded of that from time to time.

B 

is for Bern

A beautiful location for the conference, and I even found time for a brief visit to the Christmas Market.

Y 

is for You!

There's room for other Postgres people at Ruby and other developer conferences - that could be you!