How would you explain the programming language Java and the technology behind it for a newcomer in only a few sentences?
That is a good question. And, to be honest, I did not have to answer that for quite some time. I am involved too much in the Java community. When I come to consider it, my two daughters at primary school age have not asked me this question either. In the scope of media project groups, the focus is more on basic competences of the young people. But the two already asked me how you could teach things to a computer. And then I explained the concept of programming languages to them. Strictly speaking, programming languages are more or less like a proper language between humans.
Your presentation on Tuesday at JavaLand is on"Diamond Session: Reactive Integrations - Caveats and bumps in the road explained". What is it about?
Currently, Microservices and increasingly reactive programming are on everybody's lips. The understanding that certain requirements on systems cannot only be met with a hammer, but that we have to start building an increasing number of systems with other tools gains more and more acceptance.
"I want to give the audience something to think about with my presentation in the course of integration of distributed systems."
Many people rely on many distributed systems instead of central application servers. However, there are many things to learn that we do not have to care about in the pretty ideal age of application servers: transactions, scaling, message transmission etc.
The topic "Integration" is also part of that. When I cannot use my standard APIs anymore and I additionally have to deal with Streams technically, then it is time for new tools. Particularly in the scenario that we have to connect the old world with the new world. In my presentation, I have put together some approaches how this can succeed. Ideally, I can give some food for thought and send the participants with new information to the task of integration of distributed systems.
You talk about "monoliths" in the announcement and the situation that companies must weigh if and how they integrate "reactive applications" in their existing monolithic IT structure. What do these situations look like in practice?
I have spoken frequently about classic monoliths hitting the walls of centralized or decentralized infrastructures. It starts with the inherent interweaving of the platform with the application (key word: distributed monolith), goes on with the threading model (request/thread binding), the missed opportunity to switch synchronous and blocking APIs to Streams, to missing support of microservice architectures (bulkheads, error handling, external architecture). All of these points of criticism give only information on suitability of a specific technology, a specific tool for the implementation of a definite architecture.
"Application servers are as justified as microservice architectures."
When companies have built up solid knowledge for installation, operation, and maintenance in the past decades of such centralized infrastructures, a complete new installation is frequently not feasible or cannot be justified from a financial point of view. That is why there will always be requirements to combine the old with the new. Having two integration partners from such different worlds, there will soon be situations in which one overloads the other. For example, when one sends too much data. Since there is no standard solution, this type of integration becomes very complex fast and is challenging to implement.
What are the current developments you see in the field of "Java" and how do you rate them?
Java will be the undisputed center of development for large and complex systems for many years to come. Experience and insights from the past decades have led to an enormous spread of knowledge and bring savings by standardization of processes and development methods. A Java application project also scales very well in existing organizational structures. Further development of the language has picked up pace now which enables inclusion of new programming concepts and data structures. Java will be much better in the future to have its finger on the pulse of the time.
"Eclipse Jakarta EE will lead to significantly more innovations."
Similar advantages were brought in by Java EE for quite a long time, complemented with standards that enabled at least a technical exchangeability of runtime environments. Unfortunately, there has not been much progress in this field due to standardization. The hope of all participants is now built on the new Eclipse Jakarta EE. According to the motto "many hands make light work", the release cycle will probably decrease and result in a significant increase of innovation.
What makes a successful JavaLand 2018 for you?
JavaLand is obviously really special for me. Being a part of building up this conference and seeing it really makes me proud to see how it grows year after year. The basic recipe was always quite simple: a lot of great presentations of popular speakers supported by creative leeway for the Java User Groups active in Germany. The last part in particular always has been hard to grasp for me and I am extremely surprised how well the collaboration worked and how many good ideas could be implemented in recent years.
"JavaLand means: conference program and rolling up your sleeves at the same time."
Instead of a simple hacker garden, a completely separate program has evolved with the participants playing an active part. Two components are required for a successful JavaLand: the chance to acquire additional skills by a classic conference program, but also rolling up your sleeves and participate in community activities. The creativity-supporting environment of the Phantasialand can be felt by each participant with personalized training.
What are your personal highlights in the three days of JavaLand 2018?
I am a huge networking fan. That is why these community activities are still my highlight. I will be in the Early Adopters Area quite often. The JavaLand4Kids is also near and dear to me. Seeing the shining eyes of the kids when they control a robot and bring machines to life makes me unbelievably happy. As for the program, I do not want to focus on a single item. Most of all, I look forward to some familiar faces I have not seen for quite a while. But there are also some new and exciting topics that I may want to have a look at.
Thank you for this interview and have some good encounters at JavaLand 2018.
