"Many years ago I was a FileMaker dabbler, then got a gig doing a database for the American Bar Association, which was very well received [a simple info ad-hoc report/presentation-only solution on CD-ROM, so very safe ;) ], and I used that money to go to my first DevCon (Palm Desert). I’ve continued to work with FileMaker for my day job and a bit for private ventures. Economically, I can’t say it has continued to propel me, but in other ways that are important—building systems that do what I want them to do, etc., - it has been great. And I plan to go to greater heights with it. But beyond that, my now three years of Bootcamp have provided camaraderie and unparalleled experiences in the business world that have kept me returning. If it weren’t for Jonn’s enthusiasm and care for the participants, I would have dropped out long ago. Working with people who share kindred avocations, such as music, also adds greatly to the synthesis."
Tully McGregor
"I think it is amazing that there is such a wide range of experience and expertise in the room and yet everyone comes away with such valuable tools, ideas, inspiration. I appreciate the personal investment that each of you have in the work you do – it brings the technology to an outstanding level and is evident in the quality of your communication this past week."
Lee Lukehart
"I wish to add my voice to the others’ expressions of appreciation.
First, I want to say how much fun I had last week—you all are superstars! I am impressed with the quality, enthusiasm, and dedication of each participant bar none. You folks are why I stayed the whole week (came to present; stayed to share the experience). You made the long hours enjoyable and rewarding! YOU are what made the magic happen at Bootcamp.
Of course, none of this would be a reality without Jonn Howell’s vision and energy. That Bootcamp for FileMaker is in its fifth year is testament to his passion and commitment to advancing the state of the FileMaker arts.
Jonn is an authentic champion in his ongoing quest for knowledge and high performance. He leaves no stone unturned and no naming convention unexamined (inside joke). Any developer who wishes to be at the top of their game would be well-advised to witness—and emulate if possible—Jonn’s ever-curious mind, wickedly discerning eye, and tenacious problem-solving mindset. And, of course, they should attend Bootcamp at every opportunity. This is not a “take once and get it” format. Everyone who shows up will learn something new at every iteration.
Special medals should go to Laramie Ericson and Bob Majors for their support of the event. You’re both delightful to work with. FileMaker skills aside, I appreciate Laramie’s adept handling of coordinating and communicating the schedule and logistics, and Bob for his omnipresent efficiency as photography and videographer. I’m sure other people were also involved, and I regret I’m not aware of their specific contributions.
Lastly, I am grateful for the other presenters who brought depth and richness to the proceedings. The speaker list is too lengthy for this message, but know that I admire and respect the accomplishments and personalities of each and every one of you. I enjoyed our discussions, our occasional banter, and the exploration of a topic we find mutually interesting. I feel fortunate indeed to keep such esteemed company."
Sander Selover
"I think Bootcamp for Filemaker should be a part of everyone’s quiver that wants to get serious about Filemaker. The practices and theories that we learned and explored crossed all languages and platforms. I’ve been a filemaker hobbyist for the last 12 years, and I’ve been taking my skills to the next level and Bootcamp just became a huge part of that leap.
The level of expertise of the participants, the instructors, and the organizer is extraordinarily impressive and covered a multitude of contrasting facets, from Security, to SQL, to Scripts, to Server.
One of the main big picture things that I got out of bootcamp, was to really think about every aspect of what I do day to day, understand the consequences of every decision, and the reasons behind them.
I can’t say enough about Jonn and his dedication to what is clearly a labor of love. I look forward to my next opportunity to interact with all of my new friends."
Bruce Herbach
"I just wanted to say that I thought bootcamp was great this time. I had a great time and it was great to see and talk with everyone. Working on the project with David and Becky has been one of the best group project I have ever done.
All of the speaker did a great job. This may sound odd, but one of the little things I liked the best was the demonstrations of databases developed by the everyone that attended. Some of them are just fantastic. The hints that everyone shared about better ways to do things was incredible.
It was also great having people who gave presentation and then stayed for the whole week. They gave great presentations, added to the the other presentations by their participation in the questions and answer portions at the end of the other presentations. Probably best of all was having an extended time to talk with them during the breaks.
Jonn, Laramie thanks for going to all of the effort to put this on and getting the caterer to put caffeine in the coffee. You both did an outstanding job."
Teresa Wilkins
"This was my first year attending Bootcamp. I found the experience to be equal parts humbling and energizing. I was hoping that this experience would be an immersion into the FM culture, and an opportunity to see how others are putting the application to use.
At the risk of sounding trite, I think of one of my favorite quotes from Thoreau, “If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put foundations under them.” One of the best parts of this Bootcamp for me was seeing the amazing work that some other people are doing with FM. It really exploded my imagination for what is possible. The great sessions all helped to identify the building blocks that would make up those foundations. From a business perspective, it was good to take away a sense of where the gaps are in my knowledge base, and areas where I need to concentrate future efforts.
From a personal perspective, it was incredibly energizing to spend time with such a fantastic group of individuals. There wasn’t a single person that I met there that I didn’t learn something from. I found everyone to be warm, welcoming, and eager to share their impressive depth of knowledge and experience."
December 2008 – Westlake, CA
"Just a quick note to say thanks to ... all the presenters for an amazing few days! The content was diverse and deep and there was truly something for everyone in the curriculum. Not to mention, it was an excellent value. Having attended similar type events in other industries, I can honestly say that this was one of the best organized with the most valuable content. I further solidified my Filemaker knowledge and understanding and gained techniques I can put into immediate use. My head is swimming with new ideas! Additionally, I have produced smaller scale events and know how much can go into the planning of the event, producing all the content, and arranging for food, etc. And, being a picky eater myself, I'm thankful you had leftovers from the barbecue! Thanks, too, to the other attendees who were friendly and willing to share freely of their skills and talents! This is definitely something I would do again."
"Bootcamp for FileMaker was an illuminating experience. Everyone, from talented developers to relative beginners like myself, took away enough info to develop a new fold in the cerebral cortex."
"Bootcamp is an intensive, in-depth learning experience revolving around using, designing, developing, & extending FileMaker Pro. It was structured and focused, yet included casual time to talk and get to know other FileMaker users & developers at all levels. It also involved people at FileMaker corporate, which allowed us to learn about FileMaker in a even more in-depth manner, as well as seasoned local developers with extensive experience in both developing and selling FileMaker solutions. I would heartily recommend it to anyone who loves FileMaker."
"Bootcamp for FileMaker is a truly unique and amazingly valuable learning experience, and I recommend it wholeheartedly for any level of FileMaker developer. It goes beyond standardized training and devons (both of which I attend), delving deep into real world practice, covering database theory, business analysis, development practice, web technologies—and bridges theory with real world business practice. The intimacy and camaraderie of working, cooking and sharing meals, and interacting all day late into the evening bonds everyone, which greatly enhances the experience. Oh, I forgot to mention group ice skating."
"This was my second Bootcamp for FileMaker. Again I found it to be an invaluable experience. It is an opportunity for me as a developer to step back and look at fundamental information that is critical for me to know to build my core skills and make my business successful. This year I had the opportunity to participate as a speaker, I thoroughly enjoyed it. The discussions were great and so was the entire group of attendees. I was really impressed with FileMaker's participation."
"This is my second year at Bootcamp and I'll be back again next year. This beats any other training or seminars I've gone to because you get to have a say on the subject matter, the group is small enough that you actually get to know them and they have very knowledgeable speakers. One of the best parts about this is the comradery of the group. You get an understanding of how the people around you use Filemaker and pick up a ton of little tips and tricks. Many of them are personalized to you're needs when you show people your work while sitting back in ...[the] living room. You also get to know the people and as a result, make a lot of friends. Even the people from Apple and Filemaker that attended turned out to be real people :) They're also smart and multi-talented!"
"Thanks for a terrific week. The scope of material covered and also detail was challenging and inspiring. I have come away with a much greater understanding of Filemaker, especially sound design standards as well as techniques which I will apply immediately. The great food and new friendships was a huge bonus. I look forward to more such events."
"...a fabulous Bootcamp which exceeded my expectations on every level (except, perhaps, the weather). Special thanks ... for [their] keen sense of community-building and attention to so many of the details that made Bootcamp run so smoothly. More thanks to ... the DataExperience crew, the FileMaker folks, and all the participants for sharing so many great techniques, ideas, and camaraderie."
"What my 7 y/o daughter called a “boring computer meeting” and my s.o. called a “geekfest” was, for me, a truly enjoyable and enlightening four days; despite my sleep deprivation growing more severe each day, so were my eyes were opened wider and wider. The bottom line for me is that Bootcamp made me want to become a better developer. I hope to learn enough in the next year that I will be able to contribute more to next year’s Bootcamp."
"I learned a lot at Bootcamp but I’m especially grateful to have met so many warm, passionate and talented people. Thanks ... for hosting all of us!"
"I learned a lot at Bootcamp but I’m especially grateful to have met so many warm, passionate and talented people."
"Bootcamp was an amazing experience! ... I enjoyed the whole experience and learnt (sic) a lot, too. I appreciate your patience and kindness with the new kid."
"I just wanted to thank you for putting on Bootcamp for FileMaker. It was a great experience. I greatly enjoyed meeting everyone and the sessions and presentations were fantastic."
"Thanks to .... [the] team for all their hard work to organize all the complex materials and content, to present it a very coherent way. And, thanks to everyone for their participation and support to make the Bootcamp a very beneficial learning experience."
"Thanks for running Bootcamp! It is always great fun meeting FileMaker people from such different backgrounds, and exploring all the techniques to get the best out of this wonderfully powerful application."
December 2007 – Thousand Oaks, CA
"Loved Bootcamp. It dramatically improved the way I think as a FileMaker Developer. I now think more clearly and precisely when designing a database."
"I was really impressed by caliber of people there, their intensity and focus, and appreciate their adoption of me into the group."
"It was a tremendous week. Lots learned, lots shared. Good people, great laughs. It really has made me rethink how I make decisions when working on a project from start to finish. It also gave me some technical knowledge that has helped me on current projects."
"Let's keep this going! it is a great experience. I love the concentrated time for learning and packing so much in."
"Although I'm fairly new to FileMaker, I'm expected professionally to function at a very high level. I feel like I was given a super-deluxe tool-box by way of Bootcamp 2007. I'm already implementing what I've learned as I bring my current projects up to a more professional standard, and start new projects the way they should have been from the beginning! Overall I feel more confident in my abilities, and look forward to continuing to progress in database development with FileMaker."
"I've been spending my nights integrating more of the ideas I picked up there... Just bouncing ideas off others and spending time with the crowd you gathered was very worthwhile."
"Awesome job. Great camaraderie. Positive learning environment. It was nice to see people promoting & evangelizing FM for bigger and better projects within the database world market. Good karma."
"The mindset and creativity of the group of attendees creates an excellent opportunity for anyone considering to sign up for the future Bootcamps."
