Christian Frei's Blog 2008-06-12T18:08:19Z tag:weblogs.java.net,2008:/blog/cwfrei/441 Movable Type Copyright (c) 2008, cwfrei The Duke starring in Rambo III 2008-06-12T18:08:19Z 2008-06-12T18:08:19Z tag:weblogs.java.net,2008:/blog/cwfrei/441.9962 2008-06-12T18:08:19Z Special appearance: The Duke is Sylvester Stallone. cwfrei christian.frei@keynode.biz Community: Java User Groups The Swiss Duke]]> Effective Java (2nd edition) in Europe 2008-06-06T08:51:16Z 2008-06-06T08:51:05Z tag:weblogs.java.net,2008:/blog/cwfrei/441.9931 2008-06-06T08:51:05Z The 2nd edition of Effective Java by Joshua Bloch can be purchased at Jazoon'08. For the first time in Europe and for a special conference prize. And you can get it autographed by the author. cwfrei christian.frei@keynode.biz Community: Java User Groups Jazoon'08 for the first time in Europe. You can purchase the book at the conference registration desk for the special conference prize of CHF 50.

And get your copy autographed! After his keynote on Thursday 26 June, Josh will autograph his new book. Josh will have two talks at Jazoon'08. Don't miss it!]]> 9 days to EURO2008 - 25 days to JAZOON'08 2008-05-29T13:06:17Z 2008-05-29T13:06:02Z tag:weblogs.java.net,2008:/blog/cwfrei/441.9888 2008-05-29T13:06:02Z Only 25 days to go until Jazoon'08. In 9 days the EURO2008 soccer championship will start in Switzerland. cwfrei christian.frei@keynode.biz Community: Java User Groups EURO2008 soccer championship will start in Switzerland. And in 25 days Jazoon'08 will kick-off.

Don't worry about EURO2008: there are still plenty of hotel rooms available in Zurich and you will be able to watch the only game scheduled during Jazoon on our large movie theater screens with commentary in English.]]> The Duke starring in 2001! 2008-05-14T15:58:30Z 2008-05-14T15:58:30Z tag:weblogs.java.net,2008:/blog/cwfrei/441.9803 2008-05-14T15:58:30Z Special appearance: The Duke meets HAL. cwfrei christian.frei@keynode.biz Community: Java User Groups The Swiss Duke]]> From Java to Scala? 2008-05-13T15:26:12Z 2008-05-13T09:42:16Z tag:weblogs.java.net,2008:/blog/cwfrei/441.9790 2008-05-13T09:42:16Z In many sessions at JavaOne Scala was a topic of interest. In the Java Posse BOF even the question was raised if Scala could replace Java. cwfrei christian.frei@keynode.biz Community: Java User Groups
In the Java Posse BOF (Java Posse Episode 186) it was discussed what the potential of Scala in the world of programming languages is. For sure dynamic languages have a different standing and Scala is offering complementary advantages. It was pointed out though, that Scala could replace the Java language. The Java language of course, not the Java platform. I am curious to see whether Scala will really pick up momentum.

Martin Odersky, the creator of Scala, will hold a keynote at Jazoon'08.

]]> What language/framework should I choose? 2008-05-08T21:47:40Z 2008-05-08T18:52:35Z tag:weblogs.java.net,2008:/blog/cwfrei/441.9750 2008-05-08T18:52:35Z There is a confusing variety of languages/frameworks in use. Is it clear what you use for what? cwfrei christian.frei@keynode.biz Community: Java User Groups
The number of languages/frameworks for sure does not become smaller. Some of the actual examples discussed in the panel were Ruby/Rails, Groovy/Grails, Python, JMaki, JavaFX.

What to choose? Wouldn't it be easier if there was only one language? Jonathan Schwartz argued that it is of course a hassle that for example you have to test software on Firefox, Explorer, Safari... But do you really want to have only one browser out there? You see were his was getting at.

The panelist pointed out that every languages has its clear advantages for some tasks. Now that's all fine. But the one thing they also agreed upon was that developers seldom switch from one language to another. A Groovy user will not switch to Python and vice versa. So developers end up to solve their tasks with the technology they already like most and not the one that would be suited best for the job.

To what it really comes down to is that there is now clear answer. And that is an especially tough finding for students and beginners.

So what can you do? The advice I can give is that you have to continue to attend conferences ;-) Seriously, it is important that you regularly take the chance to broaden your general knowledge of software technology in order to make informed decisions.

BTW You can meet Greg Murry at Jazoon'08.

]]> Dynamics in Open Source: Sun and MySQL 2008-05-07T18:49:57Z 2008-05-07T18:49:45Z tag:weblogs.java.net,2008:/blog/cwfrei/441.9732 2008-05-07T18:49:45Z Since MySQL was acquired by Sun downloads have gone up dramatically as Rich Green pointed out at JavaOne. cwfrei christian.frei@keynode.biz Community
Geeks are usually skeptical when they hear about an acquisition like this one. I also have to admit that I saw some industrial logic in it but also remained reserved owing to potential drawbacks.

The question of course is what caused that increase. Is it just the marketing push or has it something to do with the trust that a large company like Sun brings with it? I can't tell. However, for sure the MySQL guys have to be at Jazoon next year.]]> RIA, RIA, RIA... 2008-05-06T23:04:28Z 2008-05-06T21:45:53Z tag:weblogs.java.net,2008:/blog/cwfrei/441.9710 2008-05-06T21:45:53Z The keynote by Rich Green at Day One at JavaOne brought a strong focus on RIA. Jonathan Schwartz in a Q&A stressed the importance of RIA for the future of a consumer centric world. cwfrei christian.frei@keynode.biz Community: Java User Groups In today's keynote, Rich Green (Sun's Executive VP Software) pointed out the increasing importance of RIA showing a compelling demo of a JavaFX application. The application merging sources from Youtube, Flickr and Twitter running in a browser could be simply dragged onto the desktop to run there. The same application was even shown to run on the Android emulator. RIA are an important step on the way to the consumer-centric world as SUN sees it coming. One interesting aspect of the application on the desktop is: it can simply be erased again like any item on the desktop. According to Jonathan Schwartz this is a very compelling way to distribute content without having to force the user through a browser and whatever kind of website.

There are of course competing technologies to build RIA. These technologies will be presented at Jazoon'08. If you have very new stuff to present you can still submit a proposal for the Jazoon Cutting-Edge session until 2008-05-16 (check the conference website for details). Speakers will receive a free conference pass.

]]> Profit now and save EUR 210! 2008-04-29T12:28:22Z 2008-04-29T10:32:17Z tag:weblogs.java.net,2008:/blog/cwfrei/441.9631 2008-04-29T10:32:17Z Register for Jazoon'08 until 30.04.2008 and save EUR 210! And if you are a JUG member you can even save more because you can accumulate your discounts! cwfrei christian.frei@keynode.biz Community Jazoon'08. Sign up before the end of April and save EUR 210. And if you are a JUG member you can save an additional 25% on the conference pass! See here how to get your JUG voucher code: http://jazoon.com/en/sponsorsandpartners/jugs.html. Hurry up, sign up now and profit!]]> The Duke starring in 24! 2008-04-25T13:39:50Z 2008-04-25T13:39:45Z tag:weblogs.java.net,2008:/blog/cwfrei/441.9605 2008-04-25T13:39:45Z Special appearance: The Duke meets Jack Bauer. cwfrei christian.frei@keynode.biz Community: Java User Groups The Swiss Duke ]]> Submit a proposal: the latest Java trends 2008-04-25T13:27:29Z 2008-04-15T14:04:52Z tag:weblogs.java.net,2008:/blog/cwfrei/441.9539 2008-04-15T14:04:52Z Call for papers for Jazoon Cutting-Edge, the special session at Jazoon'08 for the latest trends in Java technology. cwfrei christian.frei@keynode.biz Community: Java User Groups Jazoon'08 will feature an extra session called Jazoon Cutting-Edge. This session will include the latest trends, updates and highlights of the Java world that have emerged since our Call for papers closed by the end of 2007. Jazoon Cutting-Edge is a moderated session of 15-minutes talks. Speakers will receive a 3 days conference pass for free. Interested speakers should submit a proposal on-line between 2008-05-01 and 2008-05-16. The Jazoon Program Committee will select the most interesting talks and inform you by the end of May about the results. Looking forward to your contributions!

]]> Jazoon'08 program published 2008-04-29T10:21:49Z 2008-04-02T12:18:42Z tag:weblogs.java.net,2008:/blog/cwfrei/441.9461 2008-04-02T12:18:42Z Jazoon'08, June 23 - 26 in Zurich, Switzerland, published the program. Speakers include: Dion Almaer, Bela Ban, Cedric Beust, Adam Bien, Joshua Bloch, Roberto Chinnici, Jerome Dochez, Roy T. Fielding, Neal Ford, Neal Gafter, Rod Johnson, Heinz Kabutz, Dierk Koenig, Ted Neward, David Nuescheler, Martin Marinscheck, Martin Odersky, Simon Phipps, Brian Sletten, James Ward, and many more. cwfrei christian.frei@keynode.biz Community: Java User Groups We just published the program for Jazoon'08, check out the conference webpage Jazoon.

Speakers at Jazoon'08 include:
  • Dion Almaer, Founder of Ajaxian
  • Bela Ban on Cluster your POJOs with PojoCache
  • Cédric Beust on A quick guide to modern languages and interesting concepts for the busy Java programmer
  • Adam Bien on Glassfish V2/V3 - the killer appserver for development and production
  • Joshua Bloch, Google
  • Roberto Chinnici on An Overview of the Java Platform, Enterprise Edition 6 (Java EE 6)
  • Jerome Dochez, Sun Microsystems
  • Roy T. Fielding on Open Architecture
  • Neal Ford on Building DSLs in Static & Dynamic Languages
  • Neal Gafter, Google
  • Rod Johnson on Where Will Tomorrow's Innovation Come From in Enterprise Java?
  • Heinz Kabutz on The Secrets of Concurrency
  • Dierk König on Automated functional testing of web applications
  • Ted Neward, Neward & Associates
  • David Nüscheler on The Revenge of the "Weblog in 15 minutes"
  • Martin Marinscheck on AJAX in Apache MyFaces
  • Martin Odersky on The Challenge of Scalable Languages
  • Simon Phipps on The Adoption-Led Market
  • Brian Sletten on Data-Driven Applications : Writing Less Code!
  • James Ward on Rich Internet Applications with Flex and Java
  • and many more...
]]> NetBeans Community Day at Jazoon'08 2008-04-01T06:41:22Z 2008-04-01T06:40:45Z tag:weblogs.java.net,2008:/blog/cwfrei/441.9448 2008-04-01T06:40:45Z Roman Strobl is heading a NetBeans Day for free during Jazoon'08. cwfrei christian.frei@keynode.biz Community: NetBeans Roman Strobl and his team are happy to invite you to the free of charge NetBeans Day at Jazoon'08. See first-hand how the NetBeans IDE is the only IDE you need. Members of the NetBeans team will demonstrate what's new in NetBeans 6.0, how NetBeans supports the hottest scripting languages (Ruby, JavaScript, JavaFX and PHP), how NetBeans makes it a snap to build Rich Internet Applications (using AJAX, jMaki, REST, etc.) and applications for mobile phones and PDAs, and how you can reuse existing code from the NetBeans platform to quickly create your own desktop applications. The NetBeans WorldTour is a great opportunity for community members to connect with each other face-to-face, interact with the NetBeans team, meet Java luminaries, and have some fun!

Find more information on NetBeans Tutorial at Jazoon'08

]]> The Busy Java Developer's Guide to Groovy - Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Groovy to Get Stuff Done 2008-03-12T10:23:01Z 2008-03-12T10:22:28Z tag:weblogs.java.net,2008:/blog/cwfrei/441.9345 2008-03-12T10:22:28Z Groovy has exploded onto the Java scene as a more dynamic, less restrictive and, in some cases, more productive alternative to the Java language. Much has been made of Groovy's web framework, Grails, but less attention has been paid to the actual language itself. Considering that Groovy is the bedrock upon which Grails rests, it's time to put that disparity to bed. cwfrei christian.frei@keynode.biz Community Ted Neward is happy to welcome you to the The Busy Java Developer's Guide to Groovy - Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Groovy to Get Stuff DoneTutorial. This is a community event and your chance to meet one of the key Jazoon'08 Tutorial speakers.

Groovy has exploded onto the Java scene as a more dynamic, less restrictive and, in some cases, more productive alternative to the Java language. Much has been made of Groovy's web framework, Grails, but less attention has been paid to the actual language itself. Considering that Groovy is the bedrock upon which Grails rests, it's time to put that disparity to bed. In this tutorial we take a closer look at the language, how it is used in a variety of libraries/extension to the Java language and library set, and where its limitations are. The tutorial will be an "agile" presentation, in that the audience will be fully involved in setting the agenda, participating in the discussion, and suggesting experiments to try with each iteration of the tutorial. When finished, participants will walk away with a deeper understanding of how Groovy works and how it can be used to build applications for Java, as well as how to use it as a Plain Old Scripting Language (POSL).

Find more information on The Busy Java Developer's Guide to Groovy - Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Groovy to Get Stuff Done

]]> Java Generics Explained - Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Java Generics But Were Afraid to Ask 2008-02-19T13:48:10Z 2008-02-19T13:44:00Z tag:weblogs.java.net,2008:/blog/cwfrei/441.9228 2008-02-19T13:44:00Z Generic and parameterized types and method, collectively known as Java Generics, are an integral part of the Java programming language since Java 5.0. They affect almost every Java programmer because numerous of the most popular JDK classes are generic types. Learn more about it at Jazoon'08 Tutorial day on Monday, 23 June 2008. cwfrei christian.frei@keynode.biz Angelika Langer is happy to welcome you to the Java Generics Explained - Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Java Generics But Were Afraid to AskTutorial. This is a community event and your chance to meet one of the key Jazoon'08 Tutorial speakers.

Generic and parameterized types and method, collectively known as Java Generics, are an integral part of the Java programming language since Java 5.0. They affect almost every Java programmer because numerous of the most popular JDK classes are generic types. Many, even seasoned Java developers were taken aback by the occasional complexity of the related language features, probably because generics unlike all other Java language features have a substantial learning curve.

In this tutorial we take a closer look at the language feature, how it is supposed to be used, and where its limitations are. The tutorial is intended as a mob programming session, which means that after an initial introduction to the language feature the audience is supposed to get involved by suggesting issues to tackle and the presenter will program coram publico as suggested. This format provides plenty of opportunities for discussions and explanations related to generics.

Find more information on Java Generics Explained - Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Java Generics But Were Afraid to Ask

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