Wish I could afford to go to this as a computer science student. Currently taking a course on algorithm implementation in C; http://cs.lth.se/edaf15. Our lecturer (http://www.linkedin.com/in/jonasskeppstedt) wrote the second C99 certified compiler. He also co-authored a book on writing efficient C code: http://writing-efficient-c-code.com // http://www.adlibris.com/se/product.aspx?isbn=9197794007. Meaning; this feels really relevant and interesting!

Do people really go to programming conferences for keynotes? My experience has been that the hallway conversations are alone worth more than keynotes.

Many keynotes sessions tend to be disappointing because there is not enough time to dive into technical details, or the presenter is not sure if they should be focusing on the movement as opposed to their technical contributions.