Monktoberfest 2016: Bryan Cantrill - Oral Tradition in Software Engineering

RedMonk Tech Events

Why leaders watch it

Argues organizations pass on knowledge and values through stories, so leaders should share history deliberately.

Bryan Cantrill's Monktoberfest 2016 talk on how software engineers pass knowledge down through oral tradition, from folk rhymes to programmer lore and stories like why C lacks a logical XOR. He argues for writing software with future generations in mind.

Takeaways

• Stories carry culture and lessons
• Document why decisions were made
• Share history so newcomers learn the reasons

Topics: Culture & values, Engineering & technical leadership

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