Talk in English - UK at Dutch PHP Conference 2025
Short URL: https://joind.in/talk/9c522
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"In the world of software development, programming languages and frameworks are more than just tools—they can become badges of identity and sources of near-religious devotion. In this talk, we explore how developers often form ""dev tribes"" around their favorite languages, complete with rituals, jargon, and fierce loyalty.
Drawing from themes in anthropology and tech culture, this session will examine both the positive and negative consequences of these tribal affiliations. On one hand, they foster community and innovation, but on the other, they can lead to exclusion, gatekeeping, and rigid dogma.
Through humor and ethnographic analysis, this talk will shed light on how the lines between culture and code blur, offering an amusing and thought-provoking look at the world of programming fanatics. Expect to laugh, reflect, and maybe even recognize yourself in these ""dev tribes"" by the end!
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High energy, strong topic, brought the whole audience into the talk and even (albeit accidentally) managed to get everyone dancing along together!
As room manager that had the pleasure of hosting Sergès two years in a row, I can say confidently that she is the most positive energetic speaker I’ve come across. Her quirky style takes some getting used to and is not for everyone, but at this point she’s on my must-see list for next year’s edition.
Sergés researches interesting but somewhat contentious aspects of developer culture in academic papers, and uses that to lay a solid foundation under her talks that seem lighthearted at the surface and play with the audience, but touch some very fundamental issues. This particular talk examined the issue of developer tribes and what might cause the fighting that you might see people who, at the end of the day, have more commonalities than differences.
This was an entertaining talk, poking fun at language/framework/editor rivalries with retro-themed slides and a quiz. There was time for Q&A, and this mainly involved light-hearted cross-language slanging. I mentioned that I'd written a song about PHP, and Sergès demanded it be played immediately. The AV guy obliged and I ended up singing it too, and as Mike said, the audience seemed to enter into the spirit of things. A very unusual talk, with an extraordinarily unusual ending for me! Thank you Sergès!
Very funny and energetic talk, albeit wisdom and insights were very near! Thanks!