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SUMMARY:Down the Rabbit Hole: History of the README and Why You Should Car
 e - Daina Bouquin
DTSTART;TZID=US/Central:20260716T131500
DTEND;TZID=US/Central:20260716T134500
DTSTAMP:20260813T092442Z
UID:pretalx-scipy-2026-GVQECR@pretalx.com
DESCRIPTION:When early programmers needed to share code on punch cards and
  magnetic tape in the 1970s\, they needed to explain how to use it\, warn 
 about bugs\, and provide context. The code on its own wasn't enough\, so t
 he README file was born. But READMEs have never been entirely utilitarian 
 forms of documentation. Instead they became (and remain) very human. A 197
 4 README ends with "Good luck!"\, and in 1978\, The Jargon File connected 
 the name itself to Alice in Wonderland\, suggesting that "Read Me" should 
 stand beside "Eat Me" and "Drink Me" in a surreal\, hidden world.\n\nThis 
 talk reveals how READMEs have always been where developers get to be human
 . Be it an exasperated warning from the 1970s\, a 2009 README that became 
 a complete fairy tale\, or today's projects built solely to help developer
 s add jokes to their docs\, the pattern holds across five decades: READMEs
  are where we connect\, welcome\, and guide each other.\n\nYou'll leave wi
 th practical principles for writing READMEs that invite contribution and b
 uild community\, grounded in this history. If you want contributors to you
 r open source project\, your README is likely their first impression and i
 nvitation. Make it count.
LOCATION:Thomas Swain Room
URL:https://pretalx.com/scipy-2026/talk/GVQECR/
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