Swiss Python Summit 2016

The Swiss Python Summit 2016 is over, but it will definitely leave a long lasting impression in many of its 115 attendees and organizers.

At this point I'm not surprised to remember that such a great event started as an idea proposed at a lightning talk at EuroPython 2015. And I say I'm not surprised because I've seen major open source projects being born in the same way.

It's been a long trip, at the very beginning we were not even sure this effort would take us anywhere, but the rate at which people submitted proposals and signed up keep the morale high.

Deciding on a program was one of those very though tasks that you wish didn't have. There were so many high quality proposals, and as time went by more people were finding out about the conference. At the end there were 40 proposals for only 9 slots. We were happy with the choice, but with a feeling of missing something very interesting by letting all other talks out.

The big day came, and if I may be brutally honest, I came to the realization that the whole thing couldn't happen without the full support of the HSR Rapperswil. Stefan and his team did an awesome job, everything ran smoothly. It always amuses me to see how people in this country work, like a well oiled Swiss clock.

The talks were utterly fascinating. I came to the conference with really high expectations, and didn't feel disappointed a single time. Each talk was completely  enjoyable:

• I've been working with Python for more than a decade, but Tom Ron managed to teach me several tricks I didn't know.
• Dave Halter's talk on API Design was for me a mix of "I can totally relate" and "How didn't I think about it?" moments.
• @href_ was talking only truth when he twitted: "No Python conference is complete without an Armin Rigo talk".
• Martin Christen's talk was definitely a chance to get a glimpse into a topic for which many Python developers whish they had more excuses to do: 3D computer graphics.
• Then came Matthieu Amiguet with a magnificient presentation that was definitely music to our ears... and eyes. He managed the almost impossible challenge of having the after-lunch spot and keep people on their toes.
• Chihway Chang was the game changer. She caught our attention when she mentioned drones and cosmology, and keep it for the rest of the session.
• The first of the short talks was conducted by Michael Rüegg, who made integration of web scrapping and searching look easier than what it actually is.
• With a very hands on talk Jacinda Shelly convinced more than one (me included) that there's more in life than the Python CLI: IPython.
• As a loyal Python Nose user, I was skeptical about Florian Bruhin's talk on PyTest. However, he totally smashed my preconceptions, and now I'm seriously considering switching for good.

I'm utterly happy with the outcome of the conference. The chosen format proved its value, there was something for everyone from beginners to experts, no need to decide which track to attend next, low entry cost barrier, no need to book lodging. Above all, the mix of topics and people was refreshingly good.