The document discusses the evolution of various software development practices from "the dark ages" to "modernity". It covers areas like build automation, code repositories, continuous integration, artifact repositories, static analysis, integration testing, code review, and plans for the future. Each area progresses from IDE-based or manual processes in early times, to more advanced open source tools today like Maven, Git, Jenkins, Nexus, Sonar, Groovy/Ansible, and Review Board. The document aims to provide context around current best practices and possibilities for further improvement.