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The Power of Right Abstractions - The Story of HTTP

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Karun J. and Naman C.
The Power of Right Abstractions - The Story of HTTP

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WE ARE BACK!

Abstract:
Abstractions are a powerful tool to tame complexity and as humans, and more so as software engineers, we derive a lot of value and satisfaction from the right abstractions. But many a times, talking about abstractions itself feels, well, too abstract!
In this edition, we will go through a concrete example of one of the most widely used abstractions of the modern era - the HyperText Transfer Protocol. A surprisingly simple protocol that managed to literally turn our world upside down in a little over 30 years, without itself changing much. Its evolution stands in sharp contrast to the general urge to keep releasing newer versions of software very frequently. We will attempt to decipher the reasons behind how it managed to stand tall and help everyone else proliferate on its shoulders - how simplicity and the right abstractions help us build marvels!
We will trace the journey of HTTP starting around version 0.9, and weave a story around its evolution with examples through 1.0 and 1.1 - and how the world changed with such seemingly minor changes in HTTP itself. We'll top it off with a quick mention of SPDY and QUIC.

About the Speaker:
Ravindra Jaju is a technologist with grey hair, which puts him in an interesting bracket of people who have been around just long enough to observe the birth and evolution of a lot of technologies from very close quarters as they lived through those phases at the standard pace of time (in contrast to book-reading time). He now thinks he has enough material through experience to present a short biography of HTTP. \r\n\r\n

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