Kevlin Henney
Independent consultant, speaker, writer and trainer
Kevlin Henney
Independent consultant, speaker, writer and trainer
Kevlin Henney is a GOTO legend with more than 500k views on the GOTO Youtube channel.
He's an independent consultant, trainer, reviewer and writer best known for being the author of two volumes in the Pattern-Oriented Software Architecture series and editor of 97 Things Every Programmer Should Know and 97 Things Every Java Programmer Should Know.
Kevlin's development interests are in programming, people and practice. He has been a columnist for various magazines and web sites, a contributor to open source software and a member of more committees than is probably healthy (it has been said that "a committee is a cul-de-sac down which ideas are lured and then quietly strangled"). Kevlin also boasts over 500K views on the GOTO Conferences YouTube channel and is a contributor to the Modern Software Engineering YouTube channel.
He has written on the subject of computer programming and development practice for many magazines and sites, including Better Software, The Register, C/C++ Users Journal, Application Development Advisor, JavaSpektrum, C++ Report, Java Report, EXE and Overload.
One of our favorite quotes by Kevlin: "Less code = less bugs"
Topic focus: Programming, people and practice
Check out some of Kevlin’s past talks:
- GOTO Chicago 2018 - Old Is the New New
- GOTO Amsterdam 2017 - Code as Risk
- GOTO Copenhagen 2016 - Small Is Beautiful
A few of Kevlin’s books:
Upcoming conference sessions featuring Kevlin Henney
The Past, Present and Future of Programming Languages
Programming languages are a halfway house between the metal and the mind, a bridge between the world of circuits and the world of applications, the engineered and the social. Programming languages are the medium through which developers codify systems and fragments. In each programming language is embedded a philosophy (or many) of how to think about code, how to organise thoughts, how to design. Programming languages also define skillsets, ecosystems, jobs, loyalties and communities.
When we think of software and technology we often think in terms of progress and rapid change. Programming languages, however, typically move at a far slower pace. Mainstream languages are still embracing ideas that are decades old. Constructs that developers welcome as new to their language of choice are often older than the developers themselves. And over all this hangs the question, what of the future? How will current trends, from FOSS to LLMs, shape programming languages and their use? In this talk, we will take a tour of the past, present and future of programming languages.
Get conference pass
The Past, Present and Future of Programming Languages
Programming languages are a halfway house between the metal and the mind, a bridge between the world of circuits and the world of applications, the engineered and the social. Programming languages are the medium through which developers codify systems and fragments. In each programming language is embedded a philosophy (or many) of how to think about code, how to organise thoughts, how to design. Programming languages also define skillsets, ecosystems, jobs, loyalties and communities.
When we think of software and technology we often think in terms of progress and rapid change. Programming languages, however, typically move at a far slower pace. Mainstream languages are still embracing ideas that are decades old. Constructs that developers welcome as new to their language of choice are often older than the developers themselves. And over all this hangs the question, what of the future? How will current trends, from FOSS to LLMs, shape programming languages and their use? In this talk, we will take a tour of the past, present and future of programming languages.
Get conference pass
The Past, Present and Future of Programming Languages
Programming languages are a halfway house between the metal and the mind, a bridge between the world of circuits and the world of applications, the engineered and the social. Programming languages are the medium through which developers codify systems and fragments. In each programming language is embedded a philosophy (or many) of how to think about code, how to organise thoughts, how to design. Programming languages also define skillsets, ecosystems, jobs, loyalties and communities.
When we think of software and technology we often think in terms of progress and rapid change. Programming languages, however, typically move at a far slower pace. Mainstream languages are still embracing ideas that are decades old. Constructs that developers welcome as new to their language of choice are often older than the developers themselves. And over all this hangs the question, what of the future? How will current trends, from FOSS to LLMs, shape programming languages and their use? In this talk, we will take a tour of the past, present and future of programming languages.
Get conference pass
Content featuring Kevlin Henney
Old Is the New New
Code as Risk
Software Is Details
Book Club interview ft. Hannah Fry & Simon Singh, moderated by Kevlin Henney
#FAIL
Structure and Interpretation of Test Cases
Hydrogen Power: How Far Will It Take Us?
Expert Talk: Agile Sabotage?
Expert Talk: Scaling Down Complexity in Software
A Fireside Chat with Hannah Fry, Simon Singh & Kevlin Henney
Expert Talk: Web Development & Its Failures
Modern Software Practices in a Legacy System
Expert Talk: Cloud Chaos & How Contract Tests Can Help
Expert talk: Managing Complexity in Software
Craftsmanship: Code, Guitars & Tech
Simplicity & Complexity: The Beauty & the Beast?
#FAIL
Live interview
Live interview
97 Things Every Java Programmer Should Know
The Past, Present & Future of Programming Languages
Wibbly-Wobbly, Timey-Wimey Stuff
Architecture with Agility Masterclass
Software Architecture in the 2020s
Architecture with Agility
Live Ask Me Anything with Kevlin Henney
Architecture with Agility Masterclass Taster
Past masterclasses featuring Kevlin Henney
Keeping It Simple | GOTO Copenhagen 2025
Architecture with Agility | GOTO Chicago 2018
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