Branching Considered Harmful - Lars Bendix

In '68, Dijkstra argued that the use of goto should be considered harmful. Yet almost 60 years later, we still use goto - though in a more disciplined way and at a higher level of abstraction. In this talk, I will propose that branching should likewise be considered harmful. Can we really develop without branching? The short answer is: No! The slightly longer answer begins with "It depends on ...". Branching and merging are perfect for handling the collaboration and coordination of a group of people making changes to a (large) code base. Unfortunately, knowing how to use branching and merging the best way isn't hardwired into our DNA and many developers struggle to make it work smoothly. So what is it that makes branching harmful? In which situations can it be useful and valuable? And what discipline and abstractions should we adopt to make branching work for us instead of against us? If you are curious to explore this, then come and join me as we dive into the wonderful - and sometimes dangerous - world of branching and merging. ___________________________ Foo Café is a meeting place for people with an interest in software development and IT. Here, user groups and partner companies find the perfect atmosphere for sharing knowledge and develop competence. Foo Café is open for everyone and is free to attend. To make an event at Foo Café, you have to become a partner company with us or you can run a user group with an in-depth technical focus. We welcome companies with sponsor challenges. We are currently present in Stockholm and Malmö and have made over 2048 tech events since the start in 2012. At Foo Café there’s an event going on everyday, year round.