Decoupling From (Bad) Shibboleths in the Software Developer Community
summary
Argues that language/editor/tool shibboleths (Vim vs Emacs, Java vs Ruby, PHP dismissed by Scala users) create structural barriers to newcomers, and offers concrete fixes: adopt a code of conduct, ask “is this a hill I want to die on,” prefer people over pedantry, stop "well actually" corrections, avoid joking relationships, and arrange meetups as a semi-circle to admit new people. Publishes a glossary called Verbal Remedies on GitHub as a practical resource and invites contributions.
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chapters (13)
- 0:00Intro
- 1:23Crossfire
- 3:08Intersections
- 4:09Venn Diagrams
- 5:31West African Culture
- 9:34Barriers to Entry
- 13:21Best Practices
- 15:13Gathering
- 17:07Tech Term Library
- 17:51Avoid Joking
- 19:24Be Helpful
- 20:01Correct People
- 21:28Conclusion
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