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RailsConf 2018: Here's to history: programming through archaeology by Eleanor Kiefel Haggerty Does your git log output resemble an archaeological site from 500BC? Ransacked by Persians with some Spartan conflict? When we code and commit, our decisions, for better or worse, are preserved. As though in an archaeological record. Thanks to the archaeological record we can understand entire human cultures, but how much do we understand about the decisions developers are making today? Applying the same practices archaeologists utilise can help us understand the decisions developers are making in 2018.
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The video titled "Here's to History: Programming Through Archaeology" presented by Eleanor Kiefel Haggerty at RailsConf 2018 explores the parallels between programming practices and archaeology. The essence of Haggerty's discussion is centered around understanding the coding process as an archaeological venture where the history of code and development decisions are preserved like artifacts in an excavation site. ### Key Points: - **Introduction to Archaeology and Programming:** Haggerty begins with a playful introduction, connecting her background in archaeology to programming. She emphasizes how, just as archaeological records reveal human culture, code commits preserve the decisions of developers. - **Human Intention and the Archaeological Record:** She discusses the importance of recognizing human intention in both archaeology and programming. Codebases can reflect individual programmer's styles and intentions, akin to how artifacts reveal the behaviors and choices of past societies. - **Understanding Context and Stratigraphy:** Haggerty draws a parallel between the stratigraphy of archaeological sites and the commit history in version control systems like Git. Commit logs serve as historical snapshots, allowing developers to piece together the 'why' behind programming decisions. - **The Importance of Clear Commit Messages:** The speaker reiterates the significance of maintaining clear and informative commit messages in code history. She cites examples from her work where a lack of context led to confusion, just as archaeological artifacts can lose their meanings without proper documentation. - **Case Studies in Debugging:** Haggerty shares personal anecdotes illustrating how tracing back through commit history is similar to archaeological excavation. She describes issues encountered while changing code, emphasizing how good commit messages and context helped identify and resolve problems efficiently. - **The Relationship Between Technology and Humanity:** The talk concludes by reflecting on how modern programming is a continuation of human adaptive behavior. The development process should be treated with pride, and decisions made in code should be seen as valuable contributions to the heritage of technology. ### Concluding Thoughts: Haggerty encourages programmers to take pride in their work, acknowledging that every line of code is not just a technical decision but a historical artifact that contributes to the archive of human technological development. She champions the idea that understanding the past—both in archaeology and programming—can inspire better practices and meaningful contributions in future coding endeavors.
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