Plain Text
This video is also available in the GOTO Play video app! Download it to enjoy offline access to our conference videos while on the move.
Software is complicated. Machine learning, microservice architectures, message queues… every few months there’s another revolutionary idea to consider, another framework to learn. And underneath so many of these amazing ideas and abstractions is text. When you work in software, you spend your life working with text. Some of those text files are source code, some are configuration files, some of them are documentation. Editors, revision control systems, programming languages - everything from C# and HTML to Git and VS Code is based on the idea that we’re working with “plain text” files. But… what if I told you there’s no such thing?
When we say something is a plain text file, we’re relying on a huge number of assumptions - about operating systems, editors, file formats, language, culture, history… and, most of the time, that’s OK. But when it goes wrong, good old plain text can lead to some of the weirdest bugs you’ve ever seen. Why is there Chinese in the SQL event logs? Why has the city of Aarhus disappeared? And why does Magnus Mårtensson always have trouble getting into the USA? Join Dylan Beattie for a fascinating look into the hidden world of text files - from the history of mechanical teletypes, to how emoji skin tones actually work. We’ll look at some memorable bugs, some golden rules for working with plain text, and we’ll even find out the story behind the strange saying “PIKE MATCHBOX” – and what it has to do with driving in Bulgaria.
-
Failure Is Always An OptionDylan BeattieThursday Jun 29, 15:40
-
Small Steps Are the Fastest Way Forward: Life Beyond Agile & ScrumSander HoogendoornThursday Jun 29, 13:30
-
Programming's Greatest MistakesMark RendleWednesday Jun 28, 16:40
-
Demystifying Blockchain - From Infrastructures Via Smart Contracts to ApplicationsOlivier RikkenTuesday Jun 27, 14:20
-
Privacy, Crime, National Security, Human Rights & You in the MiddleBert HubertTuesday Jun 27, 16:40
-
The Flight Plan to Emission Free AviationDr. Anita SenguptaTuesday Jun 27, 09:10
-
Developing and Maintaining Your Own BrainErik ScherderWednesday Jun 28, 09:10
-
One Rule to Rule Them AllDave ThomasThursday Jun 29, 09:10
-
How The Hack?Ben SadeghipourWednesday Jun 28, 13:20
-
Industry Myth BustingJoris KuipersTuesday Jun 27, 13:20