Turtles all the way down: Abstractions and when we should use them
Abstractions are one of the greatest tools in all of programming. But sometimes we reach for them too often. How do we know when we should use an abstraction, and when we should just use the ones that already exist.
See this talk and many more by getting your ticket to PyCon AU now!
I want a ticket!Abstractions are rife in programming. You might even say they are the way we build meaning into our systems. But often when faced with a problem, we reach for a new container to neatly package it up and make it a solution. Sometimes this works, but most of the time, the problem either immediately leaks out, or over time seeps out into nearby containers, contaminating them along the way.
This talk is about describing different types of abstraction (helpful and not-so-helpful), what they look like, and how to design a helpful one. In the end you will have a few new ways to think about when and how to create abstractions and possibly a mental guide to building (or not building) your own.
Dad and Software Engineer. Based in Perth WA, Lived in San Francisco. Worked in Platforms for a company that sends lots of Text Messages, and now works on getting the world through the Energy Transition as quickly as possible!