Some words from a first time speaker, Jessica Kerr

"Earlier this year at a conference, other speakers noticed this excitement I have for software development - the programming, the people, and the progress of our young field. They told me, "You should go to Øredev!"  Then I read this year's theme -- the Arts -- and I was hooked.

This is the conference where programming is more than a job. It isn't about math, it isn't about money, it isn't about me. It's about creating something great together, and at the same time, creating something great in ourselves. For how better to improve the software we write, than by growing ourselves?

I'm excited to speak at Øredev about two great programming paradigms -functional and OO - and how we can export the best of each into the other. At our best, we erase the lines. We learn from all of math, all of logic, all of philosophy, all of life.

There's a name for someone with the kind of passion I feel about a topic as seemingly narrow as our work: geek. This kind of passion, it drives us to turn over rocks until we find whole tunnels to new worlds that no one guessed were below the surface. Programming is like that. And down these tunnels, what do we find? People. The deeper into the geeky topic of programming I get, the more I learn about people. And the more I find great people to learn with. This is what I expect from Øredev: people who are passionate about programming and compassionate with each other. When I leave, I'll know more about code, more about teams, and more about myself."