Software As Biology

on YouTube ↗01h 05m

" summary

Argues that software resembles organisms more than buildings and gives concrete prescriptions: use fork and expose to different pressures (allopatric speciation) instead of forcing one big redesign, favor invest in diversity (multiple languages, open source forks) to produce selectable options, adopt Erlang‑style isolation so services can let bad things die and be restarted, and prefer suitability over perfection (coelacanth example) — photosynthesis and mitochondria are cited as evidence nature solves hard engineering problems.

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" chapters (47)

1. 0:00Intro
2. 1:52The Model Of Software
3. 2:15Improving The Model
4. 2:45Overturning The Model
5. 3:37What Is "Software As Biology"
6. 4:56The Problem with Design
7. 5:57The Human Brain
8. 6:28Fantasy vs Reality
9. 8:00Genius, Visionary, Creator
10. 8:11Genius: 1% Inspiration, 99% Perspiration
11. 9:04Paul Valéry
12. 10:40Genius: Natural Selection?
13. 11:38Genius: Photosynthesis?
14. 11:59Two Stages of Photosynthesis
15. 13:18Light Stage (Z Scheme)
16. 13:46Dark Stage (Calvin Cycle)
17. 14:13Earth Before Photosynthesis
18. 14:33Earth After Photosynthesis
19. 14:43Cyanobacteria Vision Statement
20. 16:08Intelligent Design?
21. 17:19Evolution vs Revolution (Punctuated Equillibrium)
22. 18:05Allopatric Speciation
23. 20:29Software Release Strategy
24. 22:39R.A. Fisher On Large Change
25. 24:02Lessons from Speciation
26. 25:43Nearly All Complex Life Bangs
27. 26:30Cloning vs Sex
28. 27:40Cost of Sex
29. 28:22Meiosis / Gene Shuffling
30. 29:03Sex Combines Mutations
31. 30:54Sex: Invest in Diversity and Change
32. 31:57Lessons from Sex
33. 33:13Apoptosis
34. 34:48Programmed Cell Death: Erlang
35. 36:10PCD: System Orientation
36. 36:59Lessons from Death
37. 38:09Outdated, Legacy, So 1990s
38. 39:58Lessons From Coelacanth
39. 41:27No Plan Survives Contact With A Comet
40. 42:31Lessons From Extinction
41. 43:53Underwater Evolution
42. 44:39Air Is A Different Medium
43. 46:25Lessons From Eye Evolution
44. 46:48Morel
45. 50:02Another Model
46. 50:57Some Good Books
47. 53:44Are There Any Questions?

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