Note: your spot isn't guaranteed unless you fill out the registration form that we email you, so it'll make life much better if you make sure that your Meetup.com email address actually gets to you.

**Please read to the bottom of this message even if you hate reading.**

Super big thanks to our sponsor and host:

Friday, November 16, 2012

6pm-9pm: Software Installfest (REQUIRED)

Please plan on being there for 30-90 minutes to get all software installed. (Every install is a unique snowflake, and some snowflakes take longer to install software on than others.) See the bottom of this description if you're wondering if you have to attend the installfest.

Saturday, November 17

9:00am-4:30pm: Workshop

5pm: After-party for volunteers & attendees

Sign up process: women should be the official RSVP-er, with a +1 for their guest.

Transportation: If you're biking, there are meters outside the building, and if you already have a BikeLink membership, secure parking in Embarcadero Bart. Tragically, the building doesn't allow bikes in the offices, which limits secure bike options. If you're taking Bart, Embarcadero is the closest stop. If you're driving, there are several parking garages in the area as well as metered street parking.

Workshop Description: This workshop is intended to reach out to women who are interested in learning Ruby on Rails and is emphatically transgender-/queer-friendly. Men are welcome to attend as the guest of a woman who wants to learn Ruby on Rails -- ask your friends if you aren't sure who might be interested!

If you're curious about the new curriculum, you can check it out (in beta form) here: http://intermediaterailsbridge.herokuapp.com/intermediate_rails/. You'll be building a message board app from a series of product requirements with hints and resources, but no explicit instructions about what to type into your computer.

In this workshop, we'll take you through building a complete web application using Ruby on Rails. By the end of the workshop, you'll have an application on the internet that connects to a database and reads and writes information.

We'll meet up on Friday to install all of the software you need, and then spend Saturday learning and writing code. Total novices, system administrators, developers in other languages, and folks who attended our previous workshops are all welcome. We'll have different classes separated by experience level.

Each participant needs to bring their laptop and power supply.

We'll have pizza Friday night during the Installfest, and breakfast and lunch on Saturday. Vegetarian options will be available.

It's necessary to do ALL of the following to complete registration:

1) Confirm that the email address you have listed in Meetup is actually one that you check on a regular basis. (We'll be sending updates, notifications, and to-dos prior to the event, and you'll lose your spot if you fail to respond in a timely manner.)

2) If you have a Mac, download and install Xcode on your laptop before coming to Installfest on Friday, November 16. (Xcode is the software that creates a coding environment for you to tinker with during the workshop.) Xcode is a very large file that takes 2-3 hours to download. Doing it at work on Friday is totally legit. The installfest instructions for getting Xcode are here: http://installfest.railsbridge.org/installfest/install_xcode.

3) Fill out the Registration Form that we email to you. It will provide us with details about your operating system, the type and level of programming experience you have, and whether you will need childcare. You must fill out the Registration Form before 5pm on Monday 11/12/12 so we can get the final list of attendees to building security. (It's a really secure building.)

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Saturday's schedule approximated:

9-9:30am: Check in, coffee, bagels

9:30ish: Opening presentation / divide into classes

10am: Break into small groups

12:30pm: Lunch

1:30pm: Back to small groups

4:30pm: Closing presentation

5pm: After party at nearby bar

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(from the FAQ at workshops.railsbridge.org/resources-for-students)

Q: Do I have to attend the Installfest?

A: Yes! The Installfest is a crucial part of the weekend, even if youve already gone through the instructions independently. There are a ton of moving parts when setting up a development environment, and the reason that were able to get through the curriculum on Saturday is that every single student has had their dev environment checked and has been awarded a sticker for their successes. There are also enough changing parts that even if youve been to a workshop in the past, you should attend the Installfest to get re-verified, because this stuff changes almost constantly.