Five Things I Wish They'd Told Me

This presentation was arguable the culmination of CodeWorks. Clever and witty talk about what PHP is and what it isn't. Every developer who aspires to be somebody in the PHP world should listen to this.

Also, great community building, thanks a lot for helping promote the local PHP groups, including the http://laphp.org/

Best. Talk. Ever.

Actually I have now way of knowing that because this was my first conference ever. But I will go to *any* conference in the future where Cal is speaking, and I would listen to this talk again if it was presented.

Cal took great pains to point out that this was a talk for beginners, but I have been writing PHP code for over 3 years, read/follow some of the big blogs and twitter feeds, and spread a bit of misinformation on php-general from time to time, and I thought this was still the most interesting and helpful talk of the day.

I think it's exactly the sort of back-to-basics stuff that everyone can benefit from reviewing, no matter where they are in their careers or how involved they are in the community.

Plus Cal's a blast to listen to. Perfect for the right-after-lunch slot.

I loved this talk and really appreciated his strong plugs for our LAPHP group. He is right, if you aren't involved in your community, you are missing out on something that can help your career tremendously. (e.g. I've hired former speakers for projects and referred many people for jobs or directed them to resources for learning more.)

Cal is the best natural speaker on the tour. Booming voice, very sharp guy but unlike top people in their field usually are (and Cal is tops), he does not have the tpe of personality that would intimidate beginners. That is so key to giving your audience the most benefit of your knowledge.

Great job Cal.

BTW, check out the review I'm about to do on Cal's Design Patterns talk.