How to Break an API - How Community Values Influence Practices

Explore the impact of API changes on downstream development and the diverse practices adopted by different communities in this JSConf EU 2017 talk. Delve into research findings from interviews and surveys that reveal how developers within specific communities often share cohesive practices for managing API changes, such as semantic versioning, backporting, and synchronized releases. Discover how these practices vary across different communities and platforms, and learn why most developers are unaware of alternative strategies and their trade-offs. Examine the role of implicit community values, such as stability, rapid access, or ease of contribution, in shaping these practices. Gain insights into how understanding and openly discussing these values can help resolve conflicts between demands for stability and the pursuit of frequent, disruptive innovations in software development.