Signals from the O’Reilly Software Architecture Conference 2015

From careers to culture to code, here are key insights from the O'Reilly Software Architecture Conference 2015.

Experts from across the software architecture world came together in Boston for the O’Reilly Software Architecture Conference 2015. Below we’ve assembled notable keynotes, interviews, and insights from the event.

Software architects: post-“post-useful”

The old notion of a software architect being a non-coding, post-useful deep thinker is giving way to something far more interesting, says Neal Ford, software architect and meme wrangler at ThoughtWorks. “Architecture has become much more interesting now because it’s become more encompassing … it’s trying to solve real problems rather than play with abstractions.”


Software development is an engineering discipline

“Software development is like an art, and it is like a science, and it is like a craft, and it is a unique thing that’s never existed before,” says Glenn Vanderburg, chief architect of LivingSocial. “That doesn’t mean it’s not also engineering. And we should think of it that way.”


A codebase that reflects your architectural intent

Linking software architecture with code requires collaboration from both sides, says independent consultant Simon Brown. Architects need to be on code teams and developers need to step back to see the bigger picture.


Agile + architecture, not agile vs architecture

In exploring the relationship between software architecture and agile development, ThoughtWorks’ Molly Dishman and Martin Fowler tackle two questions: 1. What is software architecture? 2. How do you ensure architecture is happening?


Modern business has a new goal, which means it needs a new platform

Sam Ramji, CEO of the Cloud Foundry Foundation, outlines a vision for a cloud-native application platform that helps businesses shift from the old goal of sustainable competitive advantage to the modern goal of continuous innovation.


“Microservices” might become a buzzword, but the underlying ideas are important

Microservices appear to be in a “buzzword bingo” phase, says NGINX evangelist and community leader Sarah Novotny, “but attention is being paid to a very good architectural paradigm.” Novotny also discusses the convergence of software architecture and DevOps, and the potential for microservices to shape organizational culture.


You can see more keynotes and interviews in our O’Reilly Software Architecture Conference 2015 playlist.

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