Message-Oriented Architecture

If you take a step back and look at the industry trends of microservices, serverless, and the growing challenges with complexity – the next revolution of technology starts to look a whole lot like the last revolution of technology in the 1970s.

Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) was originally invented by Alan Kay and Xerox PARC. The core principles were embodied in the language of Smalltalk. Interestingly, the paradigm shift of Smalltalk wasn't really about the objects at all – it's actually a Message-Oriented Architecture designed to mimic the communication patterns of biological cells in networks.

If we think about our modern software systems like biological cells collaborating in a network, what type of tools do we need to observe and understand the behaviors of the system?

What lessons can we learn from the world of Smalltalk that can help us solve the problems today?

About Arty Starr

Arty Starr is a recognized Flow Experience expert, researcher, speaker and thought leader, and author of Idea Flow, how to measure the friction in software development. Arty's PhD research is developing a theory of momentum in software development, and she is creator of the FLOWS platform designed to help developers thrive and find joy through more time in the flow state. The company she founded, FlowInsight, is on a mission to bring back joy to our everyday work.

Arty is also a 2D/3D animator and artist, and has spent the last couple years building 3D apps in AR. She loves to share about her experiences with these technologies.

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