Programming Language Platform Growth: Table Stakes or Deal Makes?

PROGRAMMING LANGUAGE
PLATFORM GROWTH
TABLE STAKES OR DEAL MAKES?
Edward Burns
@edburns
github.com/edburns
http://ridingthecrest.com
Copyright © 2018 Ed Burns

MY PLAN FOR YOUR TIME
INVESTMENT
Preamble: Establish Credentials
Introduction: What makes a
Programming Language Platform?
The Programming Language Platforms
Summary and Key Takeaways

ESTABLISH CREDENTIALS
Who is this guy anyway?
Why is he qualified to give such
an opinionated talk?

SPEAKER QUALIFICATIONS
ED BURNS
25 years software development experience
Java EE Spec Lead for JSF and Servlet
Frequent conference speaker and workshop leader
Author of four IT books for McGraw-Hill

WHAT MAKES A LANGUAGE
PLATFORM SUCCESSFUL?

TABLE STAKES
https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=table%20stakes
The minimum amount required to play a hand of poker.
Also, the minimum amount of effort your lazy ass needs to
expend to compete at work, in relationships and basically
all facets of life.
6

TABLE STAKES
Core Language Features
Build Lifecycle
Facilitating Re-use and Distribution
Testing
Tooling

TABLE STAKES:
CORE LANGUAGE FEATURES
8

CATEGORIES
James Gosling is wary of categorization

CATEGORIES

TABLE STAKES:
BUILD LIFECYCLE
13

TABLE STAKES:
REUSE AND DISTRIBUTION
15

TABLE STAKES:
TESTING
17

TABLE STAKES:
TOOLING
19

DEAL MAKERS OR
BREAKERS
21
Factors that “seal the deal”

DEAL MAKERS OR BREAKERS
22
Monetization
The Killer App
Stackoverflowability
Maintainability
Talent Pool
Compatibility Story

DEAL MAKERS:
MONETIZATION
23

DEAL MAKERS:
THE KILLER APP
25

DEAL MAKERS:
STACKOVERFLOWABILITY
26

DEAL MAKERS:
MAINTAINABILITY
28

DEAL MAKERS:
TALENT POOL
30

DEAL MAKERS:
COMPATIBILITY STORY
32

DEAL MAKERS:
LIBRARY SUPPORT
34

The Orders of Ignorance
Phillip Armour, October 2000 CACM
0
th
Order Ignorance: Lack of Ignorance
1
st
Order Ignorance: Lack of Knowledge
2
nd
Order Ignorance: Lack of Awareness
3
rd
Order Ignorance: Lack of a Suitably Efficient
process to get to 2OI
4
th
Order Ignorance: Meta-Ignorance

36
THE PLATFORMS

37
THE PLATFORMS
stackoverflow trends

38
THE PLATFORMS: JAVA

39
THE PLATFORMS: JAVA
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
0 5 10 15 20 25
Java: Top 20 Stackoverflow answerers, answers*1k

40
THE PLATFORMS: PYTHON

41
THE PLATFORMS: PYTHON
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
0 5 10 15 20 25
Python: Top 20 Stackoverflow answerers, answers
*1k

42
THE PLATFORMS: GO

43
THE PLATFORMS: GO
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
0 5 10 15 20 25
Golang: Top 20 Stackoverflow answerers, answers *1k

MODERN SECRET
Look at an existing trend and
ask why it happened: Kubernetes

MODERN SECRET

MODERN SECRET
Kubernetes could be seen as an
evolution of the app server.
Advice for app server
developers moving to Kubernetes
and the cloud?

48
THE PLATFORMS: NODE.JS

49
THE PLATFORMS: NODE.JS
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
0 5 10 15 20 25
Node.js: Top 20 Stackoverflow answerers, answers *1k

ANCIENT SECRET
Growing your community?
Gravitate to small communities

ANCIENT SECRET

52
THE PLATFORMS: RUBY

53
THE PLATFORMS: RUBY
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
0 5 10 15 20 25
Rails: Top 20 Stackoverflow answerers,
answers *1k

• Table Stakes
• A platform simply must have all of
these things to be successful
• Core language features
• Build Lifecycle
• Testing
• Tooling
• Deal Makers or Breakers
• The things that really make the
difference
• Ability to make money
• Killer App
• Stackoverflowability
• Maintainability
• Talent Pool
• Compatibility
• Libraries
• You have to sweat the small
stuff: es muß ausgefeilt werden
• Respect that the developer’s
time is more important than
yours
54
SUMMARY AND
KEY TAKEAWAYS

Programming Language Platform Growth: Table Stakes or Deal Makes?

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