The RubyWorld Conference was held online last year and in 2020, but it appears that we will finally be able to meet up in person again this year for the 14th conference in Matsue. However, we realize that many people still feel anxious about traveling in these times, so we are planning to hold it as a hybrid event, to give people the option of attending online over the network if they prefer. Having said that, at the time of writing this prospectus, the number of positive cases in Shimane Prefecture is certainly not negligible, so the situation remains in flux. It is impossible to predict what the situation will be like when the conference date comes around, and we are keenly aware, on a daily basis, of the difficulties of holding events in this day and age.
Speaking of the difficulty of holding events, interaction between attendees at events held during a pandemic has become increasingly challenging. Our conference will be no exception, so our staff are thinking hard about ways to maximize the value of the conference.
Meanwhile, however, progress continues to be made on Ruby. While it may no longer be a hot topic on the internet, where most people want to see the newest things, many companies are using Ruby to deliver services, and the positive feedback from actual users continues to grow. In no way is Ruby “dead.”
For this year’s conference, we have invited Aaron Patterson from Shopify as our keynote speaker. Shopify is the one of the world’s largest services to use Ruby, and, as a member of the Ruby Improvement Team, Aaron has long been a wonderful contributor to the Ruby Community. The contributions by the Shopify team in recent years have been the drivers of Ruby’s progress. We look forward to hearing about Aaron’s and the Shopify team’s outcomes in the keynote address.
At the conference, which offers a bird’s-eye view of the Ruby ecosystem, you will be able to see presentations that show what kind of future the Ruby Community is facing. Instead of just waiting for the future to arrive, come and see what the Ruby Community is doing to make the future happen themselves. And we also hope that you will join us in creating that future together.
Yukihiro Matsumoto
Chairperson
Executive Committee for RubyWorld Conference