Fixing Airplanes with Clojure - Dom Kiva Meyer

"Improve aviation system reliability and safety by leveraging Clojure's type system, code sharing, and testing expertise, as demonstrated through real-world examples of airplane maintenance and development."

Key takeaways
  • The importance of type systems is highlighted, with the speaker emphasizing that type systems can prevent bugs and make code more maintainable.
  • JavaScript and Closure are highlighted as being well-suited for the task of fixing airplanes, with the speaker noting that JavaScript is used extensively in the aviation industry.
  • The speaker emphasizes the importance of code sharing and knowledge sharing within a team, highlighting the benefits of using a single language and runtime across the entire system.
  • Subscriptions are discussed as a way to make it easier to coordinate distributed systems, but the speaker notes that they introduce additional complexity and require careful coordination.
  • The speaker highlights the value of using a strong type system, such as that provided by Graph QL, to ensure that the type of data being passed between components is correct.
  • The speaker notes that JavaScript is widely used in the aviation industry, but that Closure is becoming increasingly popular due to its strong type system and support for functional programming.
  • The speaker highlights the importance of testing and validation in ensuring the reliability and safety of aircraft systems.
  • The speaker discusses the challenges of developing and maintaining large-scale systems, including the need for strong type systems, code sharing, and knowledge sharing.
  • The speaker notes that the aviation industry is becoming increasingly complex, with the introduction of new technologies such as electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft.
  • The speaker emphasizes the importance of using established languages and runtimes, such as JavaScript and Closure, in order to minimize the risk of errors and ensure the reliability and safety of aircraft systems.
  • The speaker highlights the value of using abstraction and encapsulation to simplify complex systems and make them easier to maintain and modify.
  • The speaker notes that the aviation industry is shifting towards more distributed systems, with a greater emphasis on real-time data and automation.