Abstractions: A Tale of Keys and Values

As programmers, we know that the right abstraction unlocks new ways of thinking about the problems we solve. But can they do more? Can an abstraction exemplify our values? What might that look like? How would it feel to use? Do these words I'm typing right now even make any sense?

I'd like to share a recent experience with Elixir and Phoenix that convinced me, more than ever, of the power a well-chosen abstraction can have to create a truly joyful development experience.

Transcript

1. ABSTRACTIONS A TALE OF KEYS AND VALUES ERNIE MILLER erniemiller https://ernie.io
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13. LOOK, THIS COULD ALL GO HORRIBLY WRONG. Me, in the proposal for “Choices” HOW (NOT) TO WEASEL YOUR WAY OUT OF A CONFERENCE SLOT
16. THE RIGHT TECH FEELS LIKE A CHEAT CODE.
17. NBD.
18. VBD!
19. ESTIMATES
20. a false statement made with deliberate intent to deceive; an intentional untruth, a falsehood. LIE noun
21. ⛏➡➡❓
22. ❓➡⛏➡
23. * ❗
24. * ❗ ❗ ❗
33. Hash trees can be used to verify any kind of data stored, handled and transferred in and between computers. “ — Wikipedia, "Merkle Tree"
34. […] make sure that data blocks received from other peers in a peer-to-peer network are received undamaged and unaltered, and even to check that the other peers do not lie and send fake blocks. “ — Wikipedia, "Merkle Tree"
35. git rebase
36. git commit --fixup git rebase --interactive git rebase --autosquash git commit --amend git add --interactive
39. git push --force
40. ABSTRACTION
42. you are here.
43. OPINIONS
44. OPINIONS
45. FEELINGS♥
46. FEELINGS♥ ARE HARD
47. FEELINGS ARE HARD
48. SCIENCE
49. QUANTUM MECHANICS
54. CHRISTIAAN HUYGENS 1629 - 1695
55. 1643 - 1727 ISAAC NEWTON
56. 1773 - 1829 THOMAS YOUNG
59. The experiments I am about to relate […] may be repeated with great ease, whenever the sun shines, and without any other apparatus than is at hand to every one. “ — Thomas Young, November 1803
61. circa 460 BC - 370 BC DEMOCRITUS
64. 1856 - 1940 J. J. THOMPSON
65. 1856 - 1940 J. J. THOMPSON
68. 1879 - 1955 ALBERT EINSTEIN
69. Told you so.
76. 1901 - 1976 WERNER HEISENBERG 1885 - 1962 NIELS BOHR
81. 1887 - 1961 ERWIN SCHRÖDINGER
82. 1887 - 1961 ERWIN SCHRÖDINGER
83. Left to right: Albert Einstein, Boris Podolsky, and Nathan Rosen.
84. CORRECT, BUT NOT COMPLETE.
85. Flickr: Apionid
 CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
88. 1930 - 1982 HUGH EVERETT III
90. Dear Schrödinger: You are the only contemporary physicist, besides Laue, who sees that one cannot get around the assumption of reality, if only one is honest. “ — Einstein, December 22nd, 1950
92. ESTIMATES
97. http://simulation-argument.com/simulation.pdf
106. IGNORANCE IS BLISS.
107. ABSTRACTION
108. FEELINGS WARNING! AHEAD ⚠
109. SCIENCE
110. ENGINEERING
111. ART
112. SUSPENSION
 OF DISBELIEF
113. SUSPENSION
 OF DISBELIEF
114. CONTEXT
115. defmodule Person do defstruct name: "" end
118. This is me.
120. ELEMENTAL
121. ELEMENTAL
122. CSS HTML JS State
123. ❓
124. ❓ ☔
125. ‼ ☔
126. ♥
128. ⚠
129. ⚠ %section.container %h1= post.title %h2= post.subtitle .content = post.content
130. ⚠
131. ⚠ $font-stack: Helvetica, sans-serif $primary-color: #333 body font: 100% $font-stack color: $primary-color
132. ⚠
133. ⚠ number = 42 opposite = true number = -42 if opposite square = (x) -> x * x list = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5] math = root: Math.sqrt square: square cube: (x) -> x * square x
134. State
135. EEx State
136. EEx c State
137. EEx c State
138. EEx c State
142. Chrome iOS
149. BUILDING A STATEFUL APPLICATION ON THE BACK OF A STATELESS PROTOCOL IS A TOTALLY REASONABLE PLAN. Many, many liars. Including me. NOPE.
151. EEx c Processes
152. PROCESSES
153. PROCESSES Wikimedia: Jdcollins13 - CC-BY-SA 3.0
154. PROCESSES MESSAGES &
155. HONESTY KEY VALUE:
160. KINDNESS KEY VALUE:
161. JIKASWAK JOSÉ IS KIND AND SO WE ARE KIND
162. COME FOR THE TECH. STAY FOR THE
 PEOPLE. ERNIE MILLER erniemiller https://ernie.io
163. COME FOR THE TECH. STAY FOR THE
 PEOPLE. ERNIE MILLER erniemiller https://ernie.io ❤