Tom Cools
Developer Relations Engineer / Timefold
Developer Relations Engineer for Timefold, Java Champion and leader of the Belgian Java User Group. Tom has a decade’s worth of experience delivering systems and loves to share not only knowledge but also passion for our craft. You can read more at his blog (http://www.tomcools.be) or follow him on Bluesky (@tomcools.be).
Adopt a Black Cat: Rehabilitating Unloved Technologies
Every tech community has its black cats: those tools and approaches that get passed over. Not because they’re broken, but because they’ve gained a bad reputation. “That’s old school.” “That doesn’t scale.” “Nobody does that anymore.”
In this talk, we’ll look at a handful of technologies that have been unfairly written off and make the case why they deserve a second look. Not as nostalgia, not as a contrarian take, but because the right tool for the job is sometimes the one everyone told you to stop using.
You’ll leave with a clearer framework for evaluating fit over fashion, and maybe even a new appreciation for the cats nobody wants to adopt.