I had the opportunity this year to attend CodeMash 2010.

For those of you unfamiliar with CodeMash:

“CodeMash is all about jumping into new domains. Getting out of your comfort zone. Learning new things from new people.”

CodeMash 2010 was without a doubt the best developer event I have ever attended.

Here is my list about what made it great:

1. People – there was an awesome mix of people. Those attending seemed to do a really good job of attending sessions there were outside of their comfort zones. I have seen this attempted at other places, but usually the cliques are usually too strong.

2. Mary Poppendieck – her keynote, “The Five Habits of Successful Lean Development” was easily worth the price of admission. You can see the slides here. I am considering attending an event or two later this year just to see her speak again.

3. Focus on Craftsmanship – there were quite a few really good sessions which focused on refining your craft more than just getting to know technology ABC a little bit better. Joe O’ Brien’s “Refactoring the Programmer” and Jeremy Miller’s “Software Design and Testability” really stood out to me. Both sessions were fabulous and I hope to see Joe and Jeremy present similar sessions at other events this year.

4. Other Technologies – I have been a fan of MongoDB for a while. It was great to attend a really good overview session which helped connect a lot dots. I have also had an on again off again fascination with Ruby. It was rewarding to hear some as passionate about as Leon Gersing walk through some of its’ benefits without the fud.

5. Cost – I still cannot believe this event only cost $175. It takes a lot of time and effort to put on this kind of event. (Seriously, drop the not-for-profit, double the price, and take this show on the road. It sucks having to wait until next year to attend again :)

6. Family – I made the newbie mistake of leaving the family home. This is the first developer event I have attended where family (wife & daughter) would have really enjoyed tagging along.

Besides bringing the family, the only thing I would have done differently are the pre-compilers. I skipped them and regretted it. I was trying to minimize time away from home, but I definitely missed out on great sessions.

I am already looking forward to CodeMash 2011 (and please, AT&T get these folks some 3g. Spotty service is one thing, none is just cruel).