The Cloud Should be Fun … and if not, you're probably doing it wrong

Is the cloud helping, or hurting? Does the cloud make our work more enjoyable? Is that even the right question?
Should our work even be enjoyable, or should we resign ourselves to ever longer yaml files?
It may not be the explanation you should put in your end of year assessment, but “fun” is actually a reasonable heuristic for evaluating technologies.
The cloud can be an amazingly fun place - but only if we do it right. In this talk, Holly will share some of the organisational and technical anti-patterns that turn cloud from the good place into the bad place, and why happiness is important.

Transcript

1. The Cloud Should Be Fun
   
   
   (and if it’s not you’re probably doing it wrong)
   Holly Cummins
   
   
   Red Hat
   13 December, 2022
   WTF
   

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2. I help build
   Quarkus
   

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3. cloud should be fun?
   
   
   WTF?
   image: DALL-E
   

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4. what is fun?
   

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5. @holly_cummins@hachyderm.io #RedHat
   #Quarkus
   partying?
   

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6. @holly_cummins@hachyderm.io #RedHat
   #Quarkus
   silly pictures?
   

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7. @holly_cummins@hachyderm.io #RedHat
   #Quarkus
   jokes?
   

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8. @holly_cummins
   #RedHat #Quarkus
   (ducks make jokes funnier)
   

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9. @holly_cummins@hachyderm.io #RedHat
   #Quarkus
   joy?
   

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10. @holly_cummins@hachyderm.io #RedHat
    #Quarkus
    happiness?
    

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11. @holly_cummins@hachyderm.io #RedHat
    #Quarkus
    all that, and …
    

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12. @holly_cummins@hachyderm.io #RedHat
    #Quarkus
    Photo by Linearahandmade@etsy
    Exploration
    

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13. @holly_cummins@hachyderm.io #RedHat
    #Quarkus
    Photo by Linearahandmade@etsy
    Exploration
    > Hello, World
    

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14. @holly_cummins@hachyderm.io #RedHat
    #Quarkus
    Photo by William Warby
    Puzzle
    

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15. @holly_cummins@hachyderm.io #RedHat
    #Quarkus
    Photo by William Warby
    Puzzle
    Exception in thread "main" java.lang.NullPointerException:
    WhyWhyWhyIsThisHappeningNullPointerException
    at StackTraceExample.method111(StackTraceExample.java:15)
    at StackTraceExample.method11(StackTraceExample.java:11)
    at StackTraceExample.method1(StackTraceExample.java:7)
    at StackTraceExample.main(StackTraceExample.java:3)
    

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16. @holly_cummins@hachyderm.io #RedHat
    #Quarkus
    Games
    

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17. @holly_cummins@hachyderm.io #RedHat
    #Quarkus
    Games
    

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18. @holly_cummins@hachyderm.io #RedHat
    #Quarkus
    Play
    

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19. @holly_cummins@hachyderm.io #RedHat
    #Quarkus
    Play
    

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20. @holly_cummins@hachyderm.io #RedHat
    #Quarkus
    

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21. @holly_cummins@hachyderm.io #RedHat
    #Quarkus
    

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22. @holly_cummins@hachyderm.io #RedHat
    #Quarkus
    Positive
    affect
    

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23. @holly_cummins@hachyderm.io #RedHat
    #Quarkus
    Katie Bouman,
    discovering that her
    algorithm for imaging
    black holes worked.
    It feels
    good
    

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24. why fun is valuable
    

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25. “Pleasure in the job puts
    perfection in the work.”
    Aristotle
    

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26. job satisfaction is
    the no. 1 predictor
    of organizational
    performance
    

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27. @holly_cummins #RedHat
    

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28. @holly_cummins #RedHat
    “so, what was said on the conference call?”
    

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29. @holly_cummins #RedHat
    “so, what was said on the conference call?”
    “I have no idea …
    

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30. @holly_cummins #RedHat
    “so, what was said on the conference call?”
    “I have no idea …
    but they were laughing, so the project is OK. ”
    

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31. @holly_cummins #RedHat
    “so, what was said on the conference call?”
    “I have no idea …
    but they were laughing, so the project is OK. ”
    a team that doesn’t laugh
    together doesn’t want to
    work together
    

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32. @holly_cummins #RedHat
    “my contractors are in their
    zone of competence.”
    

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33. @holly_cummins@hachyderm.io #RedHat
    #Quarkus
    Studies have shown...
    Employee fun
    

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34. @holly_cummins@hachyderm.io #RedHat
    #Quarkus
    Studies have shown...
    Employee fun
    

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35. @holly_cummins@hachyderm.io #RedHat
    #Quarkus
    Studies have shown...
    Employee fun
    Less sick leave
    

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36. @holly_cummins@hachyderm.io #RedHat
    #Quarkus
    Studies have shown...
    Employee fun
    Less sick leave
    Harder working
    

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37. @holly_cummins@hachyderm.io #RedHat
    #Quarkus
    Studies have shown...
    Employee fun
    Less sick leave
    Harder working
    More productivity
    

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38. @holly_cummins@hachyderm.io #RedHat
    #Quarkus
    

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39. @holly_cummins@hachyderm.io #RedHat
    #Quarkus
    “Your brain at positive is 31%
    more productive than your
    brain at negative, neutral or
    stressed.”
    

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40. @holly_cummins@hachyderm.io #RedHat
    #Quarkus
    

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41. @holly_cummins@hachyderm.io #RedHat
    #Quarkus
    https:/
    /www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/economics/staff/eproto/workingpapers/happinessproductivity.pdf
    

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42. @holly_cummins@hachyderm.io #RedHat
    #Quarkus
    “Individuals [who just watched a comedy
    video] have approximately
    
    
    

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43. @holly_cummins #RedHat
    Photo by Dan Cook on Unsplash
    

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44. @holly_cummins #RedHat
    Photo by Dan Cook on Unsplash
    laughter:
    

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45. @holly_cummins #RedHat
    Photo by Dan Cook on Unsplash
    laughter:
    defuses tense situations
    

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46. @holly_cummins #RedHat
    Photo by Dan Cook on Unsplash
    laughter:
    defuses tense situations
    creates team cohesion
    

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47. @holly_cummins #RedHat
    Photo by Dan Cook on Unsplash
    laughter:
    defuses tense situations
    creates team cohesion
    is a nice muscle workout
    

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48. achieving fun
    

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49. @holly_cummins
    #RedHat #Quarkus
    laugh, eat cake, wear silly hats
    fun execution plan
    

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50. @holly_cummins
    #RedHat #Quarkus
    find un-fun things & get rid of them
    
    
    laugh, eat cake, wear silly hats
    fun execution plan
    

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51. @holly_cummins
    #RedHat #Quarkus
    don’t prohibit fun
    
    
    find un-fun things & get rid of them
    
    
    laugh, eat cake, wear silly hats
    fun execution plan
    

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52. @holly_cummins
    #RedHat #Quarkus
    don’t prohibit fun
    
    
    find un-fun things & get rid of them
    
    
    laugh, eat cake, wear silly hats
    fun execution plan
    

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53. @holly_cummins
    #RedHat #Quarkus
    don’t prohibit fun
    
    
    find un-fun things & get rid of them
    
    
    laugh, eat cake, wear silly hats
    fun execution plan
    

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54. @holly_cummins
    #RedHat #Quarkus
    don’t prohibit fun
    
    
    find un-fun things & get rid of them
    
    
    laugh, eat cake, wear silly hats
    fun execution plan
    

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55. @holly_cummins
    #RedHat #Quarkus
    flow feels good
    

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56. @holly_cummins
    #RedHat #Quarkus
    flow feels good
    

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57. @holly_cummins
    #RedHat #Quarkus
    friction saps energy
    

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58. @holly_cummins
    #RedHat #Quarkus
    friction saps energy
    

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59. @holly_cummins@hachyderm.io #RedHat
    #Quarkus
    

    A process being unfun is
    a red flag that it’s not
    adding value.
    

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60. is cloud fun?
    

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61. @holly_cummins
    #RedHat #Quarkus
    is cloud fun?
    

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62. @holly_cummins
    #RedHat #Quarkus
    what is cloud-y?
    

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63. @holly_cummins
    #RedHat #Quarkus
    cost savings
    what is cloud-y?
    

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64. @holly_cummins
    #RedHat #Quarkus
    cost savings
    what is cloud-y?
    

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65. @holly_cummins
    #RedHat #Quarkus
    cost savings
    elasticity
    what is cloud-y?
    

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66. @holly_cummins
    #RedHat #Quarkus
    cost savings
    elasticity
    what is cloud-y?
    

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67. @holly_cummins
    #RedHat #Quarkus
    cost savings
    elasticity
    exotic hardware
    what is cloud-y?
    

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68. @holly_cummins
    #RedHat #Quarkus
    cost savings
    elasticity
    exotic hardware
    what is cloud-y?
    

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69. @holly_cummins
    #RedHat #Quarkus
    cost savings
    elasticity
    exotic hardware
    low friction & fast speed to market
    what is cloud-y?
    

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70. @holly_cummins
    #RedHat #Quarkus
    cost savings
    elasticity
    exotic hardware
    low friction & fast speed to market
    what is cloud-y?
    

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71. @holly_cummins
    #RedHat #Quarkus
    cloud brings
    
    
    new ways of working
    

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72. @holly_cummins@hachyderm.io #RedHat
    #Quarkus
    “devops helps make our
    lives humane and win in
    the marketplace.”
    
    
    -Gene Kim
    

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73. @holly_cummins
    #RedHat #Quarkus
    SRE
    
    
    dedicated to eliminating toil from
    ops because toil isn’t valuable.
    

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74. @holly_cummins
    #RedHat #Quarkus
    SRE
    
    
    dedicated to eliminating toil from
    ops because toil isn’t valuable.
    toil isn’t fun.
    

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75. no really
    
    
    is cloud actually fun?
    

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76. View Slide

77. View Slide

78. ©Katerina Kamprani - The Uncomfortable
    
    
    Used with permission - thanks!
    bad tools
    

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79. “the CEO bought [tool] after a
    conversation on a golf course …
    ©Katerina Kamprani - The Uncomfortable
    
    
    Used with permission - thanks!
    bad tools
    

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80. “the CEO bought [tool] after a
    conversation on a golf course …
    … eight years ago …
    ©Katerina Kamprani - The Uncomfortable
    
    
    Used with permission - thanks!
    bad tools
    

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81. “the CEO bought [tool] after a
    conversation on a golf course …
    … eight years ago …
    and everyone still has to use it”
    ©Katerina Kamprani - The Uncomfortable
    
    
    Used with permission - thanks!
    bad tools
    

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82. bad tools
    

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83. inconsistent tools
    

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84. inconsistent tools
    

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85. too many tools
    

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86. too many tools
    

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87. @holly_cummins
    #RedHat #Quarkus
    

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88. aside: what’s the point of
    laughing at something?
    to show we get it
    

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89. @holly_cummins
    #RedHat #Quarkus
    too much
    governance
    

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90. @holly_cummins
    #RedHat #Quarkus
    too much
    governance
    

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91. @holly_cummins
    #RedHat #Quarkus
    is OpenShift fun?
    

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92. @holly_cummins
    #RedHat #Quarkus
    “this provisioning
    software is broken”
    @holly_cummins
    

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93. @holly_cummins
    #RedHat #Quarkus
    what we sold
    “this provisioning
    software is broken”
    10 minute
    provision-time
    @holly_cummins
    

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94. @holly_cummins
    #RedHat #Quarkus
    what we sold
    “this provisioning
    software is broken”
    10 minute
    provision-time
    3 month
    provision-
    time
    what the
    client
    thought
    they’d got
    @holly_cummins
    

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95. @holly_cummins
    #RedHat #Quarkus
    what we sold
    “this provisioning
    software is broken”
    10 minute
    provision-time
    3 month
    provision-
    time
    what the
    client
    thought
    they’d got
    the reason
    84-step
    
    
    pre-approval process
    @holly_cummins
    

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96. @holly_cummins
    #RedHat #Quarkus
    

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97. @holly_cummins
    #RedHat #Quarkus
    Provider A Provider B
    “we’re going to change cloud provider
    

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98. @holly_cummins
    #RedHat #Quarkus
    Provider A Provider B
    “we’re going to change cloud provider
    to fix our procurement process!”
    

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99. @holly_cummins
    #RedHat #Quarkus
    Provider A Provider B
    “we’re going to change cloud provider
    to fix our procurement process!”
    

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100. @holly_cummins
     #RedHat #Quarkus
     “your laptop can
     either access the
     cloud servers …
     or access our jira.”
     

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101. @holly_cummins
     #RedHat #Quarkus
     “it takes us a week to
     start coding.”
     

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102. @holly_cummins
     #RedHat #Quarkus
     friction costs:
     
     
     developers leave
     

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103. fixing it
     

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104. @holly_cummins
     #RedHat #Quarkus
     

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105. @holly_cummins
     #RedHat #Quarkus
     

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106. @holly_cummins
     #RedHat #Quarkus
     automation
     

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107. @holly_cummins
     #RedHat #Quarkus
     automation
     computers don’t expect to have fun (yet)
     

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108. @holly_cummins
     #RedHat #Quarkus
     automation
     revenge!
     computers don’t expect to have fun (yet)
     

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109. @holly_cummins
     #RedHat #Quarkus
     automation
     revenge!
     computers don’t expect to have fun (yet)
     let them do the tedious tasks
     

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110. @holly_cummins
     #RedHat #Quarkus
     automation
     revenge!
     computers don’t expect to have fun (yet)
     let them do the tedious tasks
     bonus: automating stuff is fun
     

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111. @holly_cummins
     #RedHat #Quarkus
     go PaaS
     

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112. @holly_cummins
     #RedHat #Quarkus
     

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113. @holly_cummins
     #RedHat #Quarkus
     funtainer:
     
     
     ‘serverless container’
     

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114. @holly_cummins
     #RedHat #Quarkus
     function-container:
     
     
     ‘serverless container’
     

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115. @holly_cummins
     #RedHat #Quarkus
     

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116. @holly_cummins
     #RedHat #Quarkus
     

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117. @holly_cummins
     #RedHat #Quarkus
     

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118. @holly_cummins
     #RedHat #Quarkus
     

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119. @holly_cummins
     #RedHat #Quarkus
     go managed
     

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120. @holly_cummins
     #RedHat #Quarkus
     go PaaS
     image: DALL-E
     

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121. @holly_cummins
     #RedHat #Quarkus
     DevEx
     

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122. @holly_cummins
     #RedHat #Quarkus
     DX
     

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123. @holly_cummins
     #RedHat #Quarkus
     (remember, quarkus is built for
     developer joy and easy cloud-ing)
     

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124. @holly_cummins
     #RedHat #Quarkus
     but …
     

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125. @holly_cummins
     #RedHat #Quarkus
     friction is mostly not about
     the products and tools
     

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126. @holly_cummins
     #RedHat #Quarkus
     make the easiest thing to
     do the right thing to do
     

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127. @holly_cummins
     #RedHat #Quarkus
     DevOps
     

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128. @holly_cummins
     #RedHat #Quarkus
     DevSecOps
     

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129. @holly_cummins
     #RedHat #Quarkus
     three economies
     
     
     resolve a tension by finding a mutual win
     

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130. @holly_cummins
     #RedHat #Quarkus
     flow and feedback make things fun
     
     
     optimise for flow
     
     
     optimise for feedback
     

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131. @holly_cummins@hachyderm.io #RedHat
     #Quarkus
     judge, judge, judge …
     

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132. @holly_cummins@hachyderm.io #RedHat
     #Quarkus
     are you doing it wrong?
     judge, judge, judge …
     

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133. @holly_cummins@hachyderm.io #RedHat
     #Quarkus
     are you doing it wrong?
     it’s ok if it’s not all-fun-all-the-time
     judge, judge, judge …
     

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134. @holly_cummins@hachyderm.io #RedHat
     #Quarkus
     are you doing it wrong?
     it’s ok if it’s not all-fun-all-the-time
     some platforms are kind of hard
     judge, judge, judge …
     

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135. @holly_cummins@hachyderm.io #RedHat
     #Quarkus
     are you doing it wrong?
     it’s ok if it’s not all-fun-all-the-time
     some platforms are kind of hard
     process change is hard
     judge, judge, judge …
     

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136. @holly_cummins@hachyderm.io #RedHat
     #Quarkus
     are you doing it wrong?
     it’s ok if it’s not all-fun-all-the-time
     some platforms are kind of hard
     process change is hard
     people are hard!
     judge, judge, judge …
     

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137. View Slide

138. thank you
     
     
     @holly_cummins@hachyderm.io
     Red Hat
     

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