Build abstractions, not illusions | PlatformCon 2023

The tech we have today is amazing, but it can also be complex. This talk reflects on two decades of building complex distributed systems, highlighting where abstractions helped and where illusions led to major disappointments.
Let’s be honest, the tech we have today is amazing but it can also be complex. So, it’s only natural that the platforms we build want to hide that complexity in order to improve productivity, avoid mistakes, and reduce cognitive load.
So, the more complexity we can hide, the better our platform? Actually, no. We need to be careful that we create useful abstractions, not dangerous illusions. This talk reflects on two decades of building complex distributed systems, highlighting where abstractions helped and where illusions led to major disappointments.
Speaker: Gregor Hohpe
Author Cloud Strategy
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[@urizeev]

amazing!!

[@mihaiungureanu3370]

Awesome presentation as always.
I believe this type of illusion is present in many other domains, for example in business cases. What cost of using plastic is present in business cases in general? Are the costs there including the cost of cleaning the plastic islands in the ocean? Business cases are leaky abstractions.
Abstractions are abused due to our own brain finiteness. We simply cannot grasp all the relevant details without a serious amount of work, analysis, experience and so on. Therefore we live in a world of illusions.

[@denilsonperspectiva]

Expert 🎉

[@dmihovilovic]

What would be the proper way to expose the PRC abstraction and avoid the illusions?