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Attendee FAQ

Want to attend ADHOC/MacHack, but you have some questions? Take a look at this FAQ, and prepare to become amazed and educated beyond your wildest dreams.

General

Q: Weren't you MacHack?

A: We still are, but we felt that was no longer the right name for the conference for two reasons. First, while our focus is (and will continue to be) on Macintosh development, it is not the only area we cover. Mac OS X draws upon the broad base of Unix development, and we wanted to welcome them, too. Second, too many folks these days associate “hack” with breaking into other folks’ computer systems, and that is not what we are about.

Q: So what are you now?

A: ADHOC

Q: I can tell from the capitalization that ADHOC is probably an acronym. What does it mean?

A: Advanced Developers Hands-On Conference

Q: So doesn’t that make calling it the ADHOC Conference redundant?

A: Yes, it does. You got a problem with that?

Q: No.

A: Good.

Q: So what is ADHOC?

A: Let’s take it word by word.

Q: I really liked the Best Hack Contest.

A: That’s not a question ... Fear not. We’ve been hard at work putting together a new competition, the ADHOC Labs Annual Showcase, designed to build on the fun so many of us have come to expect from this gathering of hands-on creative folks.

Q: Okay, so why should I attend?

A: What, all that above wasn’t enough to convince you?

Q: Well...

A: Okay, we have nearly three hundred reasons to attend: specifically, the three hundred very smart and talented developers who come every year. If you have questions or problems, odds are you’ll meet someone who has already answered, solved them or can synergize with you to find an answer.

Q: What about WWDC?

A: At WWDC, you hear what Apple has to say to developers. At ADHOC, you hear what developers have to say to each other. WWDC is a great conference. After all, it is Apple’s official developer conference. But we believe that ADHOC offers some advantages: One, it is slightly cheaper*. Two, it is smaller, so it is easier to get to know folks. Three, it is a hands-on conference, where programming is the soul of the conference.

Q: So how do I convince my manager or company to let me come?

A: Open and print out the "FAQ for managers". This should be a great help in selling your participation in the conference to the boss.

Q: I'm sold. Now what?

A: Go to the registration page and register. Book your hotel. Attend. Have a great time.

Q: When should I be there?

A: The best time to arrive is sometime on Wednesday before the conference begins. The conference begins at midnight, Thursday, which is really just a minute after 11:59 PM Wednesday. Don't get confused and think that you can arrive on Thursday. If you arrive on Thursday, you've already missed the keynote.

Don't worry about showing up too early. Registration generally opens about 3pm on Wednesday, but there are folks around doing things like setting up the iCafe on Tuesday. If you arrive early and want to help, there will almost certainly be something for you to do. You can also take the opportunity to check out the pool and other amenities, because you'll be so busy once the conference starts you won't see them again. Also, early arrivals are always welcome to assist with the logistics of conference setup. This conference is unique and relies on the participation of the attendees to really work.

Of course, if you're doing the Pre-Conference Training, you'll want to show up on Tuesday, because it starts on Wednesday morning.

Q: When should I go home?

A: ADHOC ends Saturday evening, like 9-ish, but everyone goes out to the movies afterwards and then comes back to the hotel to eat ice cream. So, you'll be up late Saturday night; and so shouldn't try to leave too early on Sunday because you won't have time to rest. Leaving sometime Sunday afternoon generally works pretty well, although people flying east generally have to leave late morning or early afternoon in order to get back to where they came from before too late.

Q: What happens in the middle of the night?

A: People might be working on their Showcase entires, or they might be talking with other developers, or they might be rummaging for late night eats, or they might even be sleeping!

Q: I'm a busy engineer and don't have time to get away to attend both WWDC and ADHOC. Which conference is better for me?

A: ADHOC, of course! We try to schedule ADHOC about a month after WWDC, so this gives everyone time to take a deep breath and make sense of what Apple has told engineers to do with the latest and greatest advancements from Cupertino. You'll get to listen to and work with peers in your field who aren't just repeating the Apple company philosophy. You'll find out what's easier and more practical to implement. Oh, and attendees only need to take a maximum of three days off of work to attend ADHOC (the conference starts Wednesday night/Thursday morning at midnight, meaning you could travel on Wednesday and return on Sunday morning).

WWDC is Apple's conference: they schedule sessions presented by Apple employees to disseminate information about stuff that Apple has done for developers.

ADHOC is your conference: we schedule sessions that you present to talk about stuff that you've found out about what Apple's done to developers.

cough

(Did we mention we're 1/3 the attendance fee of WWDC?)

Q: I don't see a session listed in a topic I'm interested in. How can I get it on the schedule?

A: You could:

  1. Volunteer to present on it yourself; or

  2. Convince someone who knows about this topic to present the session, so not only you but many other people could benefit!

Q: I didn't know Detroit was a great place for a conference!

A: While you'll want to spend all your time at the conference, consider spending a little extra time in the area, bring out the family or significant other on Saturday to spend the weekend and check out The Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village.

Logistics

Q: What is the closest airport?

The closest airport to the hotel is Detroit Metropolitan Airport (DTW, for those of you about to book tickets online). Detroit Metro has gates for all major airlines, in addition to being a hub for Northwest Airlines. There is also a commuter airport, Detroit City Airport.

The hotel is located about 20 minutes from Detroit Metro Airport. For a handy map, check with our friends at Yahoo.

Q: What's the best way to get to the hotel?

A: There is a limousine service called MetroCars. They will meet your plane and deliver you to the hotel. Call them for more information or to make reservations.

Also, numerous cabs are available at the airport and sharing a ride to hotel is usually fairly reasonable.

Of course, regardless of how you intend to arrive, the odds are pretty good that you'll be able to mooch a ride or split cab fare with another attendee.

Q: Will I need a car?

A: No, mankind lived for tens of thousands of years without a car, and almost all of the activities at ADHOC are held at the hotel, so unless your personality somehow require a car be available you can do without one. There are three strip-malls, a major shopping center, and several restaurants within a mile of the hotel.

However, it's darn handy for some people to have cars for the occasional food run late at night and for ferrying everyone to the movie on Saturday. Preferably these people have an expense account from a big company which hasn't lost more than $700 million in the past year. If you're such a person, you might want to get a car. A big car.

Q: I've rented a car. How do I find the hotel from the airport?

A: When you exit the airport, take I-94 East to the Southfield exit. Go North on Southfield to Ford Rd. West exit. Exit, and go West to the Service drive. Once you exit you will be able to see the hotel. It nestles next to the Office Depot and the fast food place (turn right at the conveniently placed traffic light) on the service drive in the Northwest corner of the intersection of Southfield & Ford Rds.

Q: I'm driving. How do I find the hotel from the East or South?

A: Folks coming from the East can pick up I-75 North from I-80/90 in Toledo Good news! The major construction on I-75 in the Toledo/ Ohio border area is done! You can avoid downtown, however, by exiting U.S. 24 Telegraph Rd. Go North to I-94, take I-94 East., follow the directions from the airport.

Q: I'm driving. How do I find the hotel from the West?

A: Take I-94 East, and then follow the directions from the airport.

Q: I'm driving. How do I find the hotel from Canada?

A: Take your best route to Windsor. Cross into the States at the bridge. Take the Jeffries Freeway (I-96). Take the Jeffries Freeway West to the Southfield Freeway. Go South to Ford Rd. West. From Ford Rd., turn right onto the service drive.

Q: Is there any other way to get to ADHOC?

A: Yes, you can take the train. There is an Amtrak station about a mile from the hotel.

Past efforts have determined that the Vogons probably won't give you a lift, but you could always give it a shot*.

At the conference

Q: How should I select which sessions to attend?

A: In general, go to the sessions that interest you. If you're a beginner, try to select sessions which aren't aimed at the hard-core hacker. If you've got a problem or don't know how to get some piece of code to work, go to one of the code clinics. Don't miss the keynote. It's probably also a good idea to hit a few of the Mac OS sessions.

Q: Will I get any sleep?

A: Perhaps. There's always something happening at ADHOC, and because of this some attendees have realized that they can get the most out of ADHOC if they simply skip sleeping for the duration of the conference. Of course, this has its problems, and occasionally we've had to rescue tired ADHOCers who fell asleep face-first in their ice cream at the Saturday festivities, but overall it works for some.

Other attendees have realized that, while sleep is for the weak and the sickly, it's also for the tired, and so these people sneak off and try to catch a few hours between 6 AM and noon, when lunch is served.

Q: Should I bring a Powerbook

A: Yes. Yes, you should. Or, in a pinch, a Mini Mac; I suspect those will be somewhat popular as well, but harder to provide power for.

Q: Should I Bring Code?

A: Writing a complete Showcase entry at the show is tough unless you have a clear idea of what it's going to be when you walk in the door. I solve that by bringing all the code I've ever worked on and reusing heavily. Be aware that it's traditional for Showcase entries to be put on the conference CD with complete source, so you probably don't want to put anything proprietary into a Showcase entry (unless you're willing to buck tradition and not distribute the entry). If you do bring any source code that's proprietary, drop the money for PGPDisk. It's good security, and that way if your PowerBook or HD gets stolen, you just lose the hardware.

Q: How do I write my first Showcase Entry?

A: Don't stress too much about writing a Showcase entry. There are sessions during the daylight, and there are lots of folks who want to work on entries, but either don't have an idea, or have realized that their entry is Far Too Big to get done in time. Teaming up with such folks is a good way to get into the action, and you probably learn more that way than working by yourself. I strongly recommend teaming up with someone your first year.

As for coming up with ideas, there are a few classes of Showcase entries. Glam entries look cool. They often win. Entries that don't demo well seldom win, even if they're incredibly cool. Entries that actually have some value usually lose votes for being "useful," unless it's extremely useful. In 1997 there were a whole slew of MacsBug hacks for some reason. Because there were so many, none of them did very well, even though a couple were pretty cool. You can't predict that kind of thing ahead of time, but you might be able to spot it by listening to folks in the iCafe and atrium. Some people generally try to bring two ideas to ADHOC. One "useful" entry that's going to teach them something (and maybe turn into shareware), and one "stupid" entry that's just for fun.

Look at the winners from previous years on the ADHOC website for ideas. Many will look at cool new technologies from Apple, since QuickTime is often a source of glam entries.

Q: If I don't write a Showcase entry, am I a failure?

No, there are lots of things that can be learned at ADHOC without writing a Showcase entry. You can do the inevitable networking, attend sessions, or be a resource. While the Showcase experience is a high point of the conference, there are always attendees who do not enter.

* See the HHGTTG**

** The Hitch-Hiker’s Guide To The Galaxy

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Last updated 2006-03-29