Talks: "A C++ Programmer Learns Rust!" + "Ergonomic Errors"

Accessible, interesting talks for programmers and those who are interested in learning more about Rust and who is dabbling in it here in Wellington.

Agenda

17:30 doors open
17:45 slightly uncomfortable intros
17:55 community noticeboard: "we're hiring"/"hire me"/...
18:00 talk: A C++ Programmer Learns Rust!, David Pearce
18:30 talk: Ergonomic Errors, Tim McNamara
19:00 (hard deadline) wrap up

## "A C++ Programmer Learns Rust!"

This will be like a beginner's introduction to Rust. However, it will
focus a little more on the things about Rust that I personally found
strange. That's because, coming from a C++ and Java background, there are parts of the language which really confused me. Of course,
ownership and borrowing were a part of that. In fact, it wasn't until I
started to view Rust in terms of C++ that I started to "get it".
Hopefully, after this talk, you will get it as well!

[Note from David] I should add that you don't need to know lots about C++ (or Rust) to appreciate this talk. Indeed, I am certainly no Rust expert yet.

About the speaker

David graduated with a PhD from Imperial College London in 2005, and took up a lecturer position at Victoria University of Wellington, NZ. David's PhD thesis was on efficient algorithms for pointer analysis of C, and his techniques have since been incorporated into GCC. His
interests are in programming languages, compilers and static analysis.

Since 2009, he has been developing the Whiley Programming Language which is designed specifically to simplify program verification (see whiley.org). David has previously interned at Bell Labs, New Jersey, where he worked on compilers for FPGAs; and also at IBM Hursely, UK, where he worked with the AspectJ development team on profiling systems.

## "Ergonomic Errors"

Error handling is one of Rust's most distinctive features for newcomers to Rust. They're not exceptions, but they're also not an integer-based error codes. The approach originates from the ML language family, but it's extremely practical and very worth learning about! In this talk, you'll learn about how this system operates, how to consume errors from the standard library and 3rd party crates, as well as touch upon some best practices

About the Speaker

Tim is a software engineer with Canonical, the company behind the Ubuntu operating system. Tim describes Rust as the language that enables Haskell and Java programmers to get along. He has past experience leading big data software projects for DOT Loves Data, and led training and outreach at the New Zealand eScience Infrastructure. He's the author of upcoming book, Rust in Action, published by Manning Publications.

Food & Beverage

Not provided, sorry.

Venue

The incredible crew Dragonfly Data Science is hosting us. They're based in central Wellington.

Help wanted

Please message the organisers if you're able to help in any of these areas:

• Ushers: arrive early and stand at the entrance to guide people to the room

• Venue host: have a room suitable for 20-30 people, can manage security and facilities (public access to toilets during the meetup)

• Food sponsor: can work with the venue host and the meetup organisers to arrange for snacks & drinks for people attending