CRDTs are, in the basic case, a idempotent commutative monoid, aka an idempotent abelian monoid.

If this floats your boat, here's me on CRDTs: https://skillsmatter.com/skillscasts/5301-convergent-replica...

I don't think you understand the word basic...

CRDTs wont have mainstream success until people stop using the words 'monoid' and 'abelian' etc.

Most programmers aren't required to learn this kind of math in a CS degree, AND furthermore, many programmers dont have a CS degree/forgot it.

So the question is, are CRDTs a useful technique for all developers, or just a way for a minute few to demonstrate their ability to sling around math words?

Did you read the thread? The parents were using terms from abstract algebra, so I replied using the same language.

In another context I would have avoided those terms and perhaps used an explanation like this: http://noelwelsh.com/programming/2013/12/20/crdts-for-fun-an...