40 years after giving us the null reference, Tony Hoare declared it his "billion dollar mistake". How common are such "mistakes" in our field's history? Could we be burdened by other "billion dollar mistakes" today?
It is tempting to perceive our field as one of relentless progress, with each new idea building seamlessly on the foundations of its predecessors. But perhaps our history is as imperfect as other fields: a blend of elegant solutions, practical exigencies, and costly detours, influenced by hidden corporate agendas.
In this talk we sift through our history in search of more interesting, fun, and informative examples of "mistakes". Some are well-documented, like NULL and GOTO. Some are mostly forgotten curiosities like Exception Handling in the 1830s and non-binary CPUs in the 1950s. Some are the crimes of today's programming languages, arousing passionate debates like OO vs FP.
Join us for a tale that will both enlighten and entertain, uncovering the lessons hidden in our past, asking which of today's practices might be considered mistakes by our successors, and offering a balanced perspective that honours the complexities and intentions behind all our "billion dollar mistakes".
Speaker
Troy Gerwien
Software Engineer
Troy has 20+ years software engineering experience across a range of industries including games, education, healthcare, and resources. He also maintains and contributes to several open-source projects, and has mentored at CoderDojo. Troy is interested in what makes software great, not just for the user, but also for the team maintaining it.
We are excited to partner with DDD as a platinum sponsor at this year’s DDD Perth Conference. As one of Perth’s largest Tech employers in WA with a focused investment in technology and digital services, Bankwest is proud to be a part of Perth’s largest community-run conference which is open to everyone to attend. We look forward to seeing you there and make sure to come and chat to the Bankwest team about career opportunities and hear more about how we are becoming Australia’s favourite digital bank.
MakerX is thrilled to be a platinum sponsor for the 10-year anniversary of DDD Perth. DDD Perth holds a special place in our hearts as a conference originally founded by two of MakerX's co-founders Matt Davies and Rob Moore, which has since grown beyond our wildest imagination through the hard work of a fantastic diverse team of volunteers. We're thrilled to support and celebrate the enormous progress DDD Perth has made towards inclusively connecting the Perth tech community, supporting all those who can't normally attend or speak at a large tech conference, and look forward to helping attendees learn more about what it takes to build and launch startups of your own!
Insight is delighted to return as a gold sponsor of DDD Perth and celebrate its 10-year anniversary. DDD Perth is a fantastic event that showcases the diversity and talent of the Perth tech community, and we look forward to the opportunities for learning, sharing and networking
Mantel Group are so proud to once again be sponsoring DDD Perth! Investing in community is central to our mission of changing how the world works for the better, and DDD Perth is an exceptionally awesome event that fosters inclusivity and innovation. Celebrating its 10th anniversary, DDD Perth creates valuable opportunities for underrepresented groups, early career talent, and first-time speakers. We’re excited to have the opportunity to continue our contribution to the growth of the Perth software community.
Our staff have always enjoyed attending, speaking or volunteering at DDD Perth, so we're thrilled to return as a gold sponsor for DDD's 10th anniversary. Ten years is a long time in tech - and it's amazing to see how DDD Perth has grown and evolved into the inclusive and highly-engaging conference that it is today.
We are excited to announce that Versent & Telstra Purple will be a Gold Sponsor for this year's DDD Perth conference, celebrating our 10th anniversary! This is a community that's passionate about innovation, and getting together to share ideas in an open forum. And that's exactly the sort of culture we like to encourage. We are excited to be back again this year
At VGW, we are passionate about building a vibrant and inclusive tech community. DDD Perth aligns with our commitment to fostering innovation, and engaging with tech professionals and enthusiasts in our community.
- Yvette Mandanas, Chief People Officer @ VGW
We’re thrilled to announce Woodside's partnership with DDD Perth 2024 as they celebrate their 10th anniversary and Woodside marks 70 years since its establishment. This collaboration demonstrates our dedication to fostering innovation and collaboration within Australia's tech landscape. We are proud to support the local tech community through DDD Perth and engage with diverse minds who are shaping the future of energy and technology.
The SKA Observatory (SKAO) is excited to be supporting the Perth-based software and tech community by being a Gold Sponsor of the upcoming 10th anniversary of hashtag#DDDPerth.
We are building one of the largest scientific instruments of the 21st Century, a radio telescope that will revolutionise our understanding of the Universe and the laws of fundamental physics, right here in Western Australia.
Computing, software and big data will be critical in the success of this mega science project, and we’re recruiting highly motivated developers across the computing and software domains to take part.
It's such a privilege to be able to run this conference and DDD Perth would love to acknowledge the
traditional custodians of the land in which DDD is created, presented, and shared, the
Whadjuk people of the Noongar Nation and their connections to land, sea and community.
We pay our respect to their Elders past, present and emerging, and extend that respect
to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.
