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I hate to break it to you, guys, but Ruby is old enough to drink. What started out as a small community full of fun, silliness, and connection has been growing. Our small codebases are now large. Our small companies are now large. And the large companies have finally figured out that they want in, too.

So maybe it's time to start tackling Real Problems and Real Solutions in the world of Real Innovation. Maybe it's time for the community to grow up, stop playing around, and get Serious™.

But...that's not who we are. Our community thrives on creativity, play, and luck. And those things aren't just a weird perk like not having to wear shoes in the office -- creativity, play, and luck, when present, actually produce better software. As we grow our projects and our teams and invade the corporate cube farm, there are some things we can lay aside, and there are others we must hold on to as if our very identity depended on them.

Because it does.

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http://amara.org/v/FG8b/

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In the talk titled "The End of Fun," Sarah Mei addresses the evolution of the Ruby programming community and its growing pains as it transitions from a small, playful environment to a more serious, structured one. As Ruby turns 20, Mei juxtaposes the growth of the community with the need to maintain creativity and playfulness in software development. She highlights the importance of balancing organization and creativity to produce better software, stressing that too much structure can stifle innovation.

Key points discussed in the video include:  
- **Growth of Ruby and Its Community**: Ruby has evolved from a niche language to a mainstream option, leading to larger teams and organizations adopting it, often resulting in more complexity and less spontaneity in project development.  
- **Challenges of Team Expansion**: As small teams grow, the shift from individual decision-making to committee structures can lead to chaos and diluted creativity, negatively impacting the software development process.  
- **Creativity and Chaos**: Mei argues that a certain degree of chaos is essential for creativity in software development. Rigorous processes aimed at reducing chaos can inadvertently hinder innovative thinking.  
- **Open and Closed Thought Modes**: Drawing parallels with creative processes in other fields, she describes how software development involves toggling between narrow, focused tasks and broader exploratory thinking.  
- **Luck as a Skill**: Mei discusses how individuals who consider themselves lucky often seek novelty and maintain an open mindset, leading to better problem-solving capabilities.  
- **Maintaining Fun in Development**: She emphasizes the necessity of preserving joy in coding by incorporating varied experiences and interactions with diverse teams to foster creativity.  
- **Conclusion**: The ultimate takeaway is that as the Ruby community and other organizations grow, it is crucial to not lose the essence of fun and creativity that leads to remarkable software.

Sarah Mei encourages developers to consciously create environments that facilitate inspiration, ensuring that the exhilarating aspects of programming remain integral even in the face of growth and increased structure.

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