Highlights from jsMobileConf

Catch up on what you missed with a selection of top sessions from jsMobileConf, or watch the whole playlist.

Back in October, Progress put on a brand new event in Boston focused on mobile JavaScript and the broader JavaScript ecosystem. Called jsMobileConf, this conference brought in speakers from Microsoft, Adobe, Google, and Progress to talk about topics such as serverless, IoT, native apps, AR/VR, mobile web, AI, and more.

Admittedly we've been a bit tardy in getting videos of the conference ready for you all, but here is a selection of some of the most highly-rated talks from jsMobileConf 2018 (and the full playlist is available on YouTube)!

NOTE: jsMobileConf is coming back to Boston later this year! Stay tuned to (soon-to-be-updated) jsMobileConf.com for more details.

Each header below has the speaker's name linked to their Twitter account and the word [slides] linked to their deck if they have one so you can easily learn more. Enjoy!

Burke Holland: VS Live Share Can Do That?

VS Live Share is a free code collaboration service for VS Code. Think of it as Google Docs for your JavaScript files. Multiple developers can collaborate on the same project all within their own editors. This is not source control. This is you loading up someone else’s entire dev environment on your own machine. Seriously. Come take a look at how Live Share really changes the way that we think about how we work together. You might be shocked to learn what it can do, and how it can dramatically improve your workflow.

Jory Burson: Standardizing JavaScript

JavaScript is an openly standardized programming language, but what does that mean and how does that work? And why is it important, anyway? This talk will cover JavaScript’s standardization efforts in Ecma TC39 and what it means to create and implement open standards. We’ll also take a look at the future of web standards, some of the opportunities available for mobile web standards, and how the process is evolving to fit the needs of modern developers.

Chris Fritz: How to Write Great Docs as a Bad Writer

I have a confession to make: I’m not a gifted writer. I often write terrible docs, poorly organized and filled with explanations that don’t even make sense to me when I read them later. Despite this, people often love my docs when they’re published - yes, love. I get hugs from strangers for my technical writing! In this talk, I’ll walk through my process for turning terrible initial drafts into something hug-worthy.

Brandon Satrom: Bending the IoT to Your Will with JavaScript [slides]

In 2018, connected, embedded systems are everywhere, and “the IoT” is quickly moving beyond the connected-toaster memes of recent years and into the realm of reality. And as more and more developers are solving real problems with IoT devices, they are discovering that building an IoT solution is about more than a microcontroller, sensors, actuators and a Wi-Fi or cellular radio. It’s also about how that device interfaces with the world around it, makes its data available, and allows itself to be controlled from the cloud. Ultimately, building IoT solutions is about building applications that leverage hardware, firmware, and software, and savvy developers are discovering that, in the software realm, JavaScript plays a heavy role in enabling connected applications. In this session, we’ll explore some of the ways that the modern developer can take control of the IoT with JavaScript.

Ethan Marcotte: Responsive Design: Beyond Our Devices

Responsive designers now focus on patterns: reusable design modules we stitch together into larger layouts. But how should those patterns adapt, and when? And how do we design with them? We’ll look at answers to those questions, and start moving our design practices beyond the screens in front of us.

Shiva Prasad: Machine Learning on the Go with TensorFlow.js [slides]

Have you heard about TensorFlow.js yet? It has enabled a way to do machine learning in the browser. What if I told you that you can also make it work inside your mobile apps without using a browser!? Let’s explore the benefits of being able to do machine learning on the go. You can train your models on the device instead of on the server. You can provide a tailored smart solution for each user, that gets smarter every time it is used.

Sebastian Witalec: Adopt an AI-driven Chatbot Today [slides]

If you ever asked yourself any of these questions: What do chatbots eat? Do chatbots have dreams? What are the usual chatbot challenges? Then this talk is for you. We will answer all of the above questions and many more. You will learn how to build a fully functioning chatbot in less than 10 minutes – without a single IF statement – and train it to understand human language. Then we will top it up with a quick AI training to make it understand the language normal people speak.

Jeff Whelpley: Lean Native

Building a new product can be extremely challenging, but a strong focus on user feedback and quick iteration cycles with Lean methodologies can help tip the odds in your favor. In this talk, Jeff will explain how and when native mobile should fit into a process that emphasizes rapid iteration cycles and doing the absolute minimum amount of work to achieve the desired results. Stop investing months or even years of your life building your native app before you first launch anything to the public. There is a better way! Jeff will take you step-by-step through a process that will help you start getting feedback from your users within weeks and will greatly increase your ultimate chances of success.

Diana Rodriguez: Debunking Myths: Imposter Syndrome [slides]

We have all been there. At some point of our career we have stared blankly at our screens and thought that maybe this wasn’t our place. Maybe some of us have felt like we didn’t even deserve to be where we are. Let’s talk about it, learn to recognize if you’re battling imposter syndrome and how to deal with it without burning to ashes.

Anton Hristov: Building an Innovation Engine Inside Your Organization [slides]

The pace of technological advancement is accelerating and so is the rate of user adoption which creates an amazing market opportunity and a daunting challenge for existing businesses that want to remain at the cutting edge of technology and grow. Let’s explore how organizations can take advantage of this opportunity by creating a culture of learning, applying the scientific method to idea validation and helping entrepreneurial employees bring ideas to life – from launching a MVP (minimum valuable product) to achieving product-market fit and measuring success along the way. We will look at Progress Labs as a case in point.

Stanimira Vlaeva: Boosting Your Development Experience with Webpack and Hot Module Replacement

The Hot Module Replacement (HMR) feature in Webpack can replace bits of code in a program while the program is running. What’s more - the program will know that something inside it has changed and can decide how to handle it. For example, it can keep the values of its variables, evaluate the new code and restore the values of the variables. And you don’t need to restart the program to see the changes!

Panel Discussion: The Future of Mobile

A panel discussion of where mobile is headed, including conversations on virtual/augmented reality, AI, machine learning, IoT, and more.

We hope you enjoy these videos, and be sure to check back with us at jsMobileConf.com, which will soon be updated with new details on the next jsMobileConf. Hope to see you there!