The Apocalypse Meme in Software

Who am i

  • Software Contractor in Ireland
  • Legacy Web Apps focussed
  • DDD IE Co-Organiser

@barryosull

Barry O Sullivan

Where did this talk come from

Polytheism

Zoroastrianism and the birth of monotheism

Evolution of monotheism

  • Judaism (after ~500BCE)
  • Christianity
  • Islam
  • Jehovaha's Witnesses

The problem with monotheism

Why is the world flawed?

The Apocalypse meme

  • The current world is flawed
  • The perfect world is possible
  • The perfect world will happen when we purify/rid ourselves of the current world

Developers

Complete Rewrite

Current System

Previous Developers

The Apocalypse meme
in Software

  • The current system is flawed
  • The perfect system is possible
  • The perfect system will happen when we rid ourselves of the current system

The BIG rewrite

  • Green field
  • Bike-shedding of Solution space
  • No understanding of problem space (The legacy)
  • Ideology driven, believing in a single perfect system

MULTIPLIER HEURISTICS

Cognitive biases that multiply the effects:

  • False dichotomy
  • Tribalism
  • Availability heuristic
  • Optimism bias

ACCEPT THAT THE

IS EXERTING CONTROL

Q & A

The Apocalypse Meme in Software | DDD EU 2019

By Barry O' Sullivan

The Apocalypse Meme in Software | DDD EU 2019

A lightning talk on the origins of the apocalypse meme and how it affects software today.

  • 1,205