Java Web Weekly, Issue 121

At the very beginning of last year, I decided to track my reading habits and share the best stuff here, on Baeldung. Haven't missed a review since.

Here we go…

1. Spring and Java

>> Understanding Reactive types [spring.io]

Even more insight into reactive types and semantics, and of course into the upcoming Spring 5 work that's happening behind the scenes.

>> String Compaction [javaspecialists.eu]

Interesting as as always, this one is an low level exploration of how the JVM deals with memory and Strings.

>> Testing improvements in Spring Boot 1.4 [spring.io]

Testing in a Spring Boot project is getting simpler and more streamlined – especially when it comes to mocking and handling of complex JSON.

>> The Parameterless Generic Method Antipattern [jooq.org]

A very interesting piece on how the Java compiler doesn't always do the right thing when it comes to using generics.

>> Java EE vs Java SE: Has Oracle Given up on Enterprise Software? [takipi.com]

A well researched and insightful writeup about the state of Java EE today.

>> Most popular Java EE servers: 2016 edition [plumbr.eu]

And continuing the Java EE thread, some real-world data about the popularity of existing Java EE servers.

>> Exercises in Kotlin: Part 1 – Getting Started [dhananjaynene.com]

>> Exercises in Kotlin: Part 2 – High level syntax and Variables [dhananjaynene.com]

>> Exercises in Kotlin: Part 3 – Functions [dhananjaynene.com]

If you're curious about Kotlin – this looks like a great place to start.

I haven't yet gone through the exercises myself, but they're on my weekend todo list.

Also worth reading:

• >> SpringOne Platform [spring.io]

• >> Emulating property literals with Java 8 method references [in.relation.to]

• >> Few thoughts about Kotlin and why I like it so much [dhananjaynene.com]

• >> jOOQ Tuesdays: Ming-Yee Iu Gives Insight into Language Integrated Querying [jooq.org]

• >> First steps to Spring Boot Cassandra [java-allandsundry.com]

Webinars and presentations:

• >> Understanding HotSpot JVM Performance with JITWatch [infoq.com]

Time to upgrade:

• >> Spring Security 4.1.0.RC2 Released [spring.io]

• >> Spring Cloud Brixton.RC2 now available [spring.io]

2. Technical

>> Ideal HTTP Performance [mnot.net]

We're all working with HTTP one way or another, so it really doesn't hurt understanding the protocol well. This is a great writeup to get us there.

>> Boost Your REST API with HTTP Caching [kennethlange.com]

A quick and practical intro to using caching headers with a REST API.

>> A Beginner’s Guide to Addressing Concurrency Issues [techblog.bozho.net]

Taking a step back before diving head first into a complex architecture problem is fantastic advice.

There is a time when analyzing the transactional semantics of your system and improving them is the right thing to do. And then there are all the other times when it just seems like it is.

Also worth reading:

• >> Fooled by monitoring [plumbr.eu]

• >> Writing OpenAPI (Swagger) Specification Tutorial – Part 4 – Advanced Data Modeling [apihandyman.io]

• >> The SMACK stack – hands on! [codecentric.de]

• >> Calculating Pi with Apache Spark [codecentric.de]

• >> AWS Storage Update – Amazon S3 Transfer Acceleration + Larger Snowballs in More Regions [aws.amazon.com]

3. Musings

>> Join me at GeeCON [code-cop.org]

GeeCON is going to be a blast, can't wait to get there – if you're coming, make sure you say hi.

>> A Taxonomy of Software Consultants [daedtech.com]

Getting some clarity around the terms we're using when talking about our work we do and about ourselves is definitely a useful thing to spend some time on.

>> The powerful hacker culture [lemire.me]

The hacker culture and the drive to tinker, experiment and simply do – is one of the things I like most about our ecosystem, and probably one of the top reasons we're all in it.

Also worth reading:

• >> How close are AI systems to human-level intelligence? The Allen AI challenge. [lemire.me]

• >> How your data is collected and commoditised via “free” online services [troyhunt.com]

• >> How to Get People to Review Your Code [daedtech.com]

• >> Delegation as Art [queue.acm.org]

4. Comics

And my favorite Dilberts of the week:

>> Feel as if you have a strategy [dilbert.com]

>> Must. not. cry. on. the. outside [dilbert.com]

>> I see what you're doing [dilbert.com]

5. Pick of the Week

>> I’m a boring programmer (and proud of it) [m.signalvnoise.com]