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Title: An Exploration of the Phenomenology of Software Development.
Proposer: charles_tolman
Type: Workshop/Discussion
Duration: 90 minutes
Description:
First let me say that this will not be a presentation by someone with
all the answers. It is to be a sharing and co-exploration of the more
subtle aspects of software development.
The field has seen an unprecedented transition of a significant part
of humanity from physical work to an internally oriented environment
dealing with non-physical constructs.
Yet just how aware are we of this fact? How do we see the development
of the skills in dealing with this inner world’s dynamic? How can we
communicate about it in any way that makes sense?
I consider that the future positive, and human, progress of software
development is dependent upon dealing with this ‘elephant in the room’
that few in our discipline (with some notable exceptions) want to talk
about. I also propose that it cannot be done from a singularly
results-oriented viewpoint.
Gathering insights from the likes of Wolfgang Goethe, Henri Bortoft,
Richard Glass and most importantly, the recent work of Christopher
Alexander, the speaker welcomes those who have the courage to
literally take their hearts into their hands and dive into this inner
world from a practitioner’s viewpoint.
After an initial presentation, the format will be loosely based around
that of a workshop, with ample chance to share insights. A likely
process will be to invite participants to go over what should be
familiar ground of working through various simple software design
problems and reflecting upon the process, sharing insight in the
context of the work done on these problems.
Roger: I find it hard to call this one.