That Conference: Truth and Myth in Software Development

This session was present by Leon Gershing (aka Ruby Buddha). The subtitle is “Truth, Myth and Reality.”

• Git Immersion and Ruby Koans
• “Do as I say or…”
• You’re inferior
• Your priorities are off
• You can’t be successful
• You are worthless
• You’re not a developer
• A different way of looking at the world is actually a good thing, stop being negative about it
• Don’t be so dogmatic about something, it just takes practice.
• Testing, like everything else, is a tool to help you get better at what you do
• It’s okay to listen to dogma, but don’t just accept it at face value. Always evaluate the information.
• Everyone must find their own path; their own subjective reality
• Myth: that which preceded you is invalid.
• Reality: waterfall is dead. Long live Agile!
• Agile is Dead…in the same way that punk is dead
• Agile manifesto was written by 10 hippies…
• Perception is Reality
• Where are you heading?
• Only you can decide where you want to go
• No one can tell you the answer except yourself
• Changing your mind about your current path doesn’t bind you to that path, it changes the direction of the path
• Find forced mentors
• people that inspire you on any level
• Have lots of them
• remember that celebrity is just being popular, not that you want to be just like him
• Seek out wisdom from all places; from people and locations of all ages and locations
• Wisdom, like mustaches and mullets, can’t be given. They must be earned.
• read the poem “The Perfect High” by Shel Silverstein
• Pro-tips:
• Read more code than you write, not books or anything else, just read code
• Write code, and then write it again, then delete it, then write it again, then delete it, then write it again, then…
• Play with others. There is a big difference between knowledge and wisdom.
• Trust your instincts.
• Think AND Feel. It lets you understand everything and have some empathy
• Enjoy now.
• Don’t rely on your own excuses (I don’t have the time).