K Lars Lohn
The Well Tempered API

Video URL: https://air.mozilla.org/the-well-tempered-api-2/

Discussion: Issue #3

Centuries ago, a revolution in music enabled compositions to still be playable hundreds of years later. With compromises in tuning, a universal musician’s API became possible: the piano keyboard.

In the world of software, we have business logic, implementations, and abstractions. The more loosely we couple these, the more flexible, resilient and long lasting our software becomes. However, it’s not an easy task: our tools and inclinations don’t lead us the right way. Just as in music, it may take a step away from purity for software to achieve the highest level of resiliency.

This multimedia presentation uses code examples in Python from Socorro, the Mozilla Firefox Crash Reporting System. This reveals some enlightening parallels between API abstractions and centuries old music. Employing abstractions that are slightly “out of tune”, Socorro scales and flexes with remarkable ease.

And, by the way, this is likely the only technical presentation you’ve ever encountered that features live music on an electric bassoon…

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