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.