I can't see the advantage for my projects or my person to attend a group of people talking about themselves and why their way is the only valid way to do things.
Conferences I go to have talks by industry experts. I wouldn't just dismiss their expertise. Listen and so what you can apply to your work. There's always room for learning and improvement. Sure, some talks won't be new, but even then they may be confirming you're on the 'right' path.
Regarding "industry experts", let me tell you that Microsoft, for example, has its own conferences with its own experts speaking - and you'll only become a Microsoft expert if you earn a Microsoft certificate which can only be done by answering a number of questions in a multiple choice test designed by Microsoft. You can only pass the test if your view on development is the same as Microsoft's.
You won't become an expert by having an opinion.
I can't promise that this is applicable to other companies though.
Raymond Camden is a Senior Developer Evangelist for Adobe. He works on the Document Services APIs to build powerful (and typically cat-related) PDF demos.
So to be clear - you are talking about a company hosting a conference for their developers. As example of that would be MS Build or Adobe MAX. There is nothing nefarious or surprising about this. You can clearly see the schedule before attending. This is completely different from community run conferences that would have people from many different companies talking about many different things.
I don't think there is anything wrong with events like MAX or Build and if you are a heavy Adobe or MS user, it is a great place to find out more about their products and what is coming soon. But again - it isn't like the focus is hidden from. You don't spend $$ on your admission and travel and suddenly find yourself shocked at the content.
As an aside, those 'industry experts' at MS are typically really great people who participate in numerous non-MS events and open source communities.
For further actions, you may consider blocking this person and/or reporting abuse
We're a place where coders share, stay up-to-date and grow their careers.
I can't see the advantage for my projects or my person to attend a group of people talking about themselves and why their way is the only valid way to do things.
Conferences I go to have talks by industry experts. I wouldn't just dismiss their expertise. Listen and so what you can apply to your work. There's always room for learning and improvement. Sure, some talks won't be new, but even then they may be confirming you're on the 'right' path.
Regarding "industry experts", let me tell you that Microsoft, for example, has its own conferences with its own experts speaking - and you'll only become a Microsoft expert if you earn a Microsoft certificate which can only be done by answering a number of questions in a multiple choice test designed by Microsoft. You can only pass the test if your view on development is the same as Microsoft's.
You won't become an expert by having an opinion.
I can't promise that this is applicable to other companies though.
So to be clear - you are talking about a company hosting a conference for their developers. As example of that would be MS Build or Adobe MAX. There is nothing nefarious or surprising about this. You can clearly see the schedule before attending. This is completely different from community run conferences that would have people from many different companies talking about many different things.
I don't think there is anything wrong with events like MAX or Build and if you are a heavy Adobe or MS user, it is a great place to find out more about their products and what is coming soon. But again - it isn't like the focus is hidden from. You don't spend $$ on your admission and travel and suddenly find yourself shocked at the content.
As an aside, those 'industry experts' at MS are typically really great people who participate in numerous non-MS events and open source communities.