I generally agree with what this review of the NFJS conference based on my experience in 2003. The speakers are good and the material is solid.
In 2004, I didn't see enough new material to make it seem worthwhile to go again. For example, I attended talks on Naked Objects and Mock Objects last year.
There are some other considerations.
- My backlog of books I have bought but not yet read is getting too big.
- This time I would have to travel further, from the city and not a nearby suburb. Invidious choice between staying at a hotel or dealing with rush-hour traffic.
- Need to save money for the honeymoon in November :-)
We'll see, maybe I'll make it next year. Of course, NFJS is much cheaper than going to one of the mega-conferences on the coasts and probably better value because of the smaller number of attendees.