JailbreakCon 2014: A 4 Day Journal Chronicling This Incredible Jailbreak Community Experience [PART 5]

JailbreakCon Day 4: Lecture Day

I arrived at the conference center once again at 9:30 am, and once again people were already filing in. The day before I had kind of branded myself as the jailbreak selfie girl, and as I walked up to the center, I was approached by several folks to take a few selfies. Little did I know this would become the theme of my day. I settled quickly into a seat near the front with Stephanie and Surenix, really looking forward to the day's presentations. With Joshua Tucker up first, I knew we were in for something good, as Friday evening he had pretty much recited his entire presentation to us in passing conversation.

Missed the beginning? Start the journey here: JailbreakCon 2014: A 4 Day Journal Chronicling This Incredible Jailbreak Community Experience [PART 1]

As he began his presentation, "From Ideas to Reality: 10 Tips to Pursuing a Project Through Completion," I was immediately drawn in. Joshua's tips were practical and relevant and completely useful to anyone who ever looks to complete a goal with a team. His energy and fluid presentation made the 30-45 minutes he was on stage go by in a heartbeat, and on Twitter I could tell those watching the live stream were enjoying it as well. WATCH: Joshua Tucker's JailbreakCon 2014 Presentation: "From Ideas To Reality" Here

Up next was iH8sn0w's presentation on iCloud activation lock, and to be honest, my eyes were glazing over at this point. Though I frequently write articles about very technical things, I typically vet my work through people like Cyril, MuscleNerd or Joshua Hill, who have, more than once, given me the ELI5 on these kinds of things. For those who understood it, though, the presentation seemed to be a hit. WATCH: "Exploring Apple's iCloud Activation Lock" @iH8sn0w, JailbreakCon 2014 Here.

The third presenter of the day was Filippo Bigarella, and as I listened to his talk, I was amazed at his simple start in the jailbreak community, his fascination with springboard and how Springtomize came into being. Seeing how this young developer began with his first tweak, knowing nothing about how to program, and how he progressed to become the very well-known tweak developer he is today was inspiring. It really gave the sense that anyone with a passion for development can enter this community and become successful! WATCH: "A Tale of Tweaking" by Filippo Bigarella, JailbreakCon 2014.

The final presentation before lunch was Ryan Petrich, and wow, what a presentation! The tips he shared on how to develop a successful tweak were solid, and clearly came from a person with a lot of experience developing tweaks. His talk included everything from how to plan and test your ideas, naming your tweaks successfully, responding to feedback and more. The talk was motivational and practical all in one, and left all of us pumped up as we emptied the hall for lunch. WATCH: Ryan Petrich JailbreakCon 2014 "Building Successful Tweaks."

The lunch was excellent again and gave attendees lots of time to socialize before the afternoon presenters went on stage. While it seemed to me no one would be able to top the presentations by Ryan and Joshua that morning, little did I know there was plenty of good to come.

Following lunch, Britta did an excellent talk on Reddit and its importance in the jailbreak community, and after the fact, I actually saw quite a few Twitter jailbreak fans making Reddit accounts and joining that community there as well. WATCH: What is this Reddit thing?" by Britta Gustafson, JailbreakCon 2014

Kevin Bradley (@NitoTV) was up next, and though @iH8sn0w had kinda stolen his thunder in an earlier talk, the legendary Apple TV hacker explained to us why the ATV3 hasn't been jailbroken, and why it likely won't be. This was another talk that had me glazing over, but for those who understand these things, I'm sure the information was appreciated. WATCH: "Why isn't the Apple TV 3 jailbroken?" by Kevin Bradley, JailbreakCon 2014.

At about half way through the afternoon speakers, Theintam Bach was up and already I could feel my adrenaline pumping. All weekend he had agonized over the presentation he was doing and the demo he had planned for a new tweak he would release. I could tell by how nervous he acted prior to the lecture that this had to be something pretty big. For anyone who watched the live stream or attended the event, Surenix's presentation was truly epic. Pulling out every Steve Jobs trick in the book, Thientam managed to bring down the house after building momentum up for his "one last thing" — the release of the Auki messaging tweak. After doing a killer demonstration, we were all salivating at the mouth hoping to have a chance at trying it ourselves. In a moment of perfect timing, at the end of the demo, Surenix announced that Auki was live and available for purchase on Cydia. The reviews of Auki were raving from the moment he demoed the new messaging tweak on stage, and in the last week, just about every blog that covers anything Apple related featured the messaging tweak in one of its posts. It was a great moment for Thientam, but also for all of us at the event. Afterwards, the room was just buzzing with excitement. WATCH: Thientam Bach Introduces "Auki" at JailbreakCon 2014.

Following Theintam was Cyril Cattiaux (@Pod2g) and as he spoke, I have to say, I was moved. He shared with us stories of the history of jailbreaking, and while the talk was informative, it was also heartfelt. As he spoke about the most recent evasi0n7 jailbreak, around which so much controversy has surfaced, Cyril laid several things on the table that needed to be resolved. He credited the kernel exploit the evad3rs used in their jailbreak to Joshua Hill (@p0sixninja) while also acknowledging the embarrassment the team felt as the whole mess related to TaiG and the piracy issue emerged. While he discussed the low feeling all the evad3rs had in the after effects of the 7.0 jailbreak release, he also mentioned the feeling of pride that returned as he saw the evad3rs iCarbons skins that weekend featured on so many iPhones. After his talk, several within the audience took the time to let him know how much they respected the work he and the evad3rs had done for the community over the years.I kind of teared up at this point as Cyril and I had talked at length over the last several months about the situation surrounding the evasi0n7 release, and how disappointed his was with the way things transpired. I knew the disappointment he felt, and to see his pride in both the evad3rs and the jailbreak community return was worth gold.

Closing the day, Saurik gave the final keynote presentation, which included much useful information for young people interested in becoming more involved in the jailbreak community, as well as information about which paths to take in college depending on what your goals are.

While I was told this talk was really excellent, I'm sorry to say I wasn't coherent of much of it. I was engaged in a "to the death" battle with @Sentry_NC over the signed T-Shirt and banners on auction for the Because of Ezra charity. The battle between Sentry and I last around an hour and I found myself bidding far higher than I ever imagined I would have for a t-shirt. Still, Sentry still would not relent! I finally gave in as he placed his final bid of $1337 for the items, and with a bid like that, I figured it was time to give it up (Incidentally, he's still gloating about it).

I admire Sentry so much for how he and other developers in @A3tweaks have stepped up to support the Because of Ezra cause, raising thousands for the charity via tweaks they have released. My hope is that next year I'll get a chance to meet him in person — and perhaps get a selfie with the T-shirt I lost.

The day ended well and everyone was energized from the talks and the interactions as they continued to buzz on in conversations around the room. As 6 pm drew near, it was time for everyone to exit and most headed out to restaurants for one final meal together. My plane was scheduled to leave in just a few hours so I joined the group once again at Houlihan's. It was a great meal and great fun but my time was running out. As I looked around the table, I found myself amazed and sad at once to have met such an incredible group of people, but now having to leave them.

If there was any one thing I would say about why JailbreakCon is special, it's because of the people and the sense of community. Experiencing something like that is truly rare, indeed. It is for that reason I would encourage anyone who considers themselves a part of the jailbreak community to attend. You're guaranteed to walk away with more than you came with.

I slipped out of the restaurant quietly as I don't do goodbyes well. As I boarded my midnight flight and settled into dreamland, I couldn't help but smile as I thought of all the wonderful people I'd met and experiences I'd had at WWJC. It was truly an event to remember!

More on JailbreakCon 2014:

- Faces Of JailbreakCon 2014: Meet Justin Wack, An Aspiring Jailbreak Developer For The Blind [EXCLUSIVE]

- Faces Of JailbreakCon 2014: Developers And Jailbreak Fans Alike Share Why This Is One Event That Shouldn't Be Missed!

- Interview With Melissa Archer: Just What Is This Soap Opera Beauty Doing At A Geek Convention?

- Interview With Ryan Petrich: Past, Present And Future Plans Of One Of The Most Successful Tweak Developers In The Jailbreak Community

- Interview With Rosa and Bruce of iCarbons: The iCarbons Story