Conference on foojay.io - Friends Of OpenJDK

Come for Java. Get a Whole Lot More.

Fri, 11 Sep 2026 09:33:46 +0000

JCON USA returns inside IBM TechXchange 2026 with two rooms of deep Java content, a dedicated community home, and direct access to one of the years biggest technical conferences.

From Orlando to Atlanta

Last year, we tried something new. We brought JCON USA into IBM TechXchange and created a Java community conference inside a much larger technology event. The result showed us that these two worlds fit together remarkably well. JCON brought the independent, developer-to-developer spirit of the Java community. TechXchange provided the scale, infrastructure, learning opportunities, and access to experts that only a major international conference can offer.

AI-Assisted Unused & Dead Code Removal

Sun, 28 Jun 2026 07:19:42 +0000

Why Your Codebase Is Forcing AI to Underperform, and What to Do About It

Your AI coding assistant is only as good as the codebase it works on. If your Java application carries years of dead & unused code, and most do, the AI spends its reasoning budget on code that nobody runs. The result is more hallucinations, worse suggestions, and higher token costs. Here’s what to do about it.

Jakarta EE is Ready for AI – Five Talks from OCX26 That Prove It

Tue, 02 Jun 2026 11:41:01 +0000

Back in April I had the pleasure of attending Open Community Experience 2026 in Brussels - the Eclipse Foundation’s flagship open source conference. It’s always good to be in a room (or a few rooms 😉 ) with people who really care about the technology they work with. Several of my colleagues and friends were speaking - watching them present work they’ve spent serious time on is one of the better parts of this community.

Foojay Podcast #94: More Than a Blog: How Foojay Connects, Sustains, and Evolves the Java Community

Mon, 04 May 2026 06:26:00 +0000

Foojay.io, the website for the Friends Of OpenJDK, is turning six years old. To celebrate, Frank Delporte headed to JCON in Cologne, Germany, and sat down with twelve members of the Java community to talk about what Foojay means to them, what they learn from each other, and how the community is evolving.

This episode covers a lot of ground. Sharat Chandar reflects on 25 years in the Java community and why the people are what keep the language alive. Markus Westergren and Iryna Dohndorf both focus on a theme that comes up again and again: developer sustainability. Not just green software, but how you stay healthy, grounded, and relevant when AI is changing everything around you. Markus and his wife researched how developers are reacting to AI, from ignoring it completely to transforming everything they do. Iryna talks about building resilience and robustness as skills, not afterthoughts.

Eliminating Flaky Tests to End World Hunger

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 09:02:34 +0000

Rita Mae Brown once said:

Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

However, everyone has at least once experienced a test that failed and then passed in the next run without changing the code or the environment. In software engineering, we don’t call it insanity; we call such unpredictable failures flaky tests. At first, they may seem like minor problems, but like clutter in a junk drawer, they become worse over time if you never take care of them.

Foojay Podcast #93: Update Your JDK, Read More Code, and Talk to Your Users: Interviews From VoxxedDays Amsterdam

Mon, 13 Apr 2026 06:35:00 +0000

In this episode of the Foojay Podcast, we’re bringing you something special: a full batch of hallway-track conversations recorded live at VoxxedDays Amsterdam.

Fifteen guests, one conference, and one theme that kept coming back, whether we planned it or not: Java has grown up quietly, steadily, and in ways that still surprise people who haven’t looked lately. We talked about migrating between versions, new features in the latest Java releases, authorization done right, AI-assisted coding, cryptography, containers, open-source contributions, GDPR data experiments, and, yes, the things people hate about Java but secretly love.

Personal Branding Tips for Java Developers

Thu, 26 Feb 2026 10:28:58 +0000

The software development industry is more competitive than ever. Being a strong technical expert is essential, but on its own it is often not enough to grow your career or open new opportunities.

In this short, practical talkDIY Technical Marketing, Real World Tips For Building A Successful Developer Brand , delivered at Jfokus 2026 conference, Payara Community Manager Dominika Tasarz-Sochacka explores why personal branding matters for developers and how even small, intentional actions can make a real difference over time.

DevBcn, the developer's conference in Barcelona

Tue, 17 Feb 2026 09:56:33 +0000

Hola developers !!!!!

The 11th edition of DevBcn, the developer’s conference in Barcelona is coming next June. The perfect place to have great technology talks 🤖, perfect weather 🏖️, amazing food 🥘, and an unforgettable experience 💖.

It will be hosted on the 16th and 17th of June 2026, in the World Trade Center Conference Center , having 4 rooms with talks in parallel during the 2 days of the conference : Java/JVM, AI, Cloud, Frontend, Managing and Soft skills.

FOSDEM 2026: Open Source Supply Chains, CRA Compliance, and the Future of Software

Mon, 02 Feb 2026 22:52:20 +0000

FOSDEM 2026: A Live Snapshot of Open Source

(a.k.a. “So… what did you do this weekend?”)

I’m back from four days in Brussels and the uniquely exhausting experience that is FOSDEM. Mentally fried. Physically wrecked. Entirely glad I went.

The Chaos and the Crowd

Around 8,000 people made the trip this year. Some arrived for the first time; many returned as annual pilgrims.

FOSDEM remains a strange outlier in the modern conference world: free to attend, no registration gatekeeping, and no sponsors dictating the tone. You just turn up.

Why is my Talk selected? Reflections from a Program Committee Reviewer

Wed, 14 Jan 2026 15:14:56 +0000

If you are like me, get the adrenaline rush of getting up on stage and can’t wait to share things that you experienced and learned, then submitting talks to conferences and local meetups excites you.

But as much as you are proud and happy when you are accepted to present, normally there is a lot of work before that for the reviewers and organizers to find the right presentation that resonates with the attendees and fits the whole program.

Foojay Podcast #88: From Code to Stage: Organizing Conferences and Finding Your Voice as a Speake

Mon, 29 Dec 2025 06:02:00 +0000

What turns a nervous first-timer into a confident conference speaker? Let’s find out.

This the last Foojay Podcast of 2025 and also the last one with interviews recorded at the Devoxx and JFall conferences. Maybe you’re already thinking about your goals for 2026: organizing a meetup, submitting your first conference talk, or taking a bigger role in the Java community. If that sounds like you, this episode is for you.

YOW! 2025

Wed, 17 Dec 2025 08:59:55 +0000

I have been eyeing the YOW! conferences for probably more than a decade. They occur in Australia, and feature top industry experts. I was thus overjoyed when they invited me to speak on the YOW! tour earlier this year. Here’s a summary of my amazing time there.

My participation

YOW! takes place in three different cities:]Melbourne, Brisbane, and Sidney. I presented my brand new talk on WebAssembly on Kubernetes in each city. It stems from an earlier article, which I reworked and updated. YOW! will probably release the video soon.

Foojay Podcast #86: Agents, MCP, and Graph Databases: Java Developers Navigate the AI Revolution

Mon, 15 Dec 2025 06:45:00 +0000

The AI revolution isn’t replacing Java developers. No, it’s forcing us to think harder.

Welcome to another episode of the Foojay Podcast! Today, we’re talking about AI and Java, how it’s changing the way we work, what we need to watch out for, and why understanding what’s really happening matters more than ever.

I recorded interviews at Devoxx and JFall and spoke with people who build and use this technology every day.

Foojay Podcast #85: Code, Community, and Opportunity: Making Tech Accessible for Everyone

Mon, 08 Dec 2025 06:07:00 +0000

What if the future of Java depends on who we invite to learn it today?

In this Foojay Podcast, we’re diving into something that affects all of us in the Java community: How can we inspire the next generation of developers, and how do we make the developer world more inclusive?

In this episode, you’ll hear four incredible guests who are actively working to make tech more accessible and inclusive. First, Daniel De Luca talks about Devoxx for Kids and how they support underprivileged students in IT education. Then Kenny Schwegler shares his insights on how we can actively promote diversity and inclusion in tech. Cassandra Chin, the youngest Java Champion and author, talks about inspiring young coders through hands-on projects and making technology fun. And finally, Igor De Souza discusses his mission to bring Java into Raspberry Pi education and bring more Java into coding clubs worldwide.

Foojay Podcast #80: AI4Devs Interviews - Part 2

Mon, 20 Oct 2025 07:59:58 +0000

This is part 2 of the interviews recorded on September 19th, 2025, at the first AI4Devs conference in Amsterdam. In Part 1, we explored many AI-related topics as libraries, security, infrastructure, use cases, and more. In this second part, we’ll dive into data science, tools for better AI development, Java in the cloud, and get a behind-the-scenes look at how the conference came together.

I also asked these guests the same opening question: ‘What’s your name, and what brings you to this conference?’

Super Early Bird Tickets: Voxxed Days Amsterdam

Mon, 06 Oct 2025 12:37:44 +0000

After this year’s success, the Voxxed Amsterdam team is proud to announce that next year will be even bigger, with more speakers, breakouts, sponsors, and attendees. We warmly invite you to join and meet us at the JUG Square on April 1–2, 2026 in Amsterdam.

Date: April 1–2, 2026
Location: Pathé Amsterdam (North)
Details & tickets: amsterdam.voxxeddays.com

Speaker Line-up

These industry leaders will be sharing their unique insights at the conference:

Foojay Podcast #79: AI4Devs Interviews - Part 1

Mon, 06 Oct 2025 07:59:54 +0000

On September 19th, 2025, the first AI4Devs conference took place in Amsterdam. I grabbed my camera and microphone to talk with speakers and attendees about the revolution in AI-powered coding and application development. In this first part, we’ll explore Spring libraries, security, infrastructure and scaling, real-world use cases, event streaming, JetBrains tools, and more…

I asked all my guests the same opening question: ‘What’s your name, and what brings you to this conference?’ Let’s get started!

Ai4Devs Amsterdam: Successful Inaugural Developer-Focused AI Conference

Fri, 03 Oct 2025 09:37:43 +0000

The inaugural AI4Devs conference in Amsterdam, held recently Friday 19 September, a collaboration between Java Champion Jonathan Vila, local developer agency IO Digital (in particular Joost Kaan, Arno Koehler, and Michel Blankenstein), and the Friends Of OpenJDK (Foojay.io), proved to be a resounding success, bringing together approximately 200 developers at Amsterdam’s iO Digital Campus.

ING, Azul, Qodo, and ContentStack

Co-sponsored and co-organized with ING and Azul, together with Qodo and ContentStack, the event featured standout keynote sessions from Josh Long, of SpringBoot fame, and Pratik Patel, from Azul, who delivered insights on AI in the context of Spring and on increasing the speed of Java-based applications, especially in the context of AI-oriented applications.

KCDC 2025

Wed, 03 Sep 2025 17:38:36 +0000

When I first started attending conferences, I diligently tried to write down notes and publish them. It forced me to actively listen to the talks I was attending. With the number of conferences rising, I couldn’t keep the rhythm. When I switched my career path to Developer Advocate, I drastically diminished the number of talks I attended in favor of the hallway track. As a result, the last conference “report” I wrote was JPrime’s in 2022.

AI4Devs - Schedule published

Mon, 01 Sep 2025 20:05:04 +0000

🚀 The AI4Devs Amsterdam 2025 Schedule is Live!

The wait is over—AI4Devs Amsterdam has just published its official schedule, and it’s packed with talks that every developer working with (or curious about) AI will want to catch.

From live coding sessions to hands-on workshops, from security insights to multi-agent architectures—the program is designed to keep things practical, technical, and deeply relevant.

Whether you’re already building AI-powered systems or just starting to explore what’s possible, this year’s edition has something for you. Let’s take a look at the highlights.

Foojay Podcast #77: DevBcn Report, Part 2 – Spanish Knowledge Sharing

Mon, 28 Jul 2025 06:49:00 +0000

This is the first Foojay podcast in Spanish. It’s also the shortest one and the final of season 4 😉 Jonathan Vila “highjacked” the microphone from Geertjan Wielenga (See episode 76) during the DevBcn conference in Barcelona and interviewed a few of the participants for this first Spanish-only edition of the podcast.

Stay tuned and subscribe to the podcast in your favorite app or on YouTube. We’re taking a short break and will be back in September with the launch of Java 25!

Foojay Podcast #76: DevBcn Report, Part 1 – Learn from the Community

Mon, 21 Jul 2025 06:41:00 +0000

In early July, the DevBcn conference in Barcelona featured a diverse lineup of speakers, covering topics across multiple technology domains. Geertjan Wielenga took the camera and microphone with him to Spain. Together with Nacho Cougil and Jonathan Vila, two of the organizers, he spoke with many visitors about what they like most in Java, how AI influences their work, and what is important to them in the work they do.

Foojay Podcast #74: JCON Report, Part 3 – AI, ChatGPT, LLM, ML, RAG, MCP, GenAI, and more

Mon, 30 Jun 2025 06:47:00 +0000

Let’s have an AI Bingo and talk about ChatGPT, LLM, ML, RAG, MCP, GenAI, and more!

This is part 3 of the interviews recorded at the JCON conference in May. In the previous parts, you learned more about how to be a better Java developer and how Java has evolved and continues to evolve. Of course, Artificial Intelligence and large language models were hot topics at the conference.

This episode collects all the interviews on the AI topic. You will learn more about the different technologies we can use in our Java projects. We also checked with our guests to see how they compare Java to Python for AI-related development.

Foojay Podcast #72: JCon Report, Part 1 - Grow your career, public speaking, 30 years of Java, greener coding,...

Mon, 02 Jun 2025 13:55:37 +0000

On May 13th and 14th, Foojay attended the JCON conference in Köln, Germany, where we did over 30 live-stream interviews. In this episode, we present to you the first set of these interviews, in which we focus on celebrating 30 years of Java, how you can grow your career, become a public speaker and writer, make your code more green, a bit of AI (of course…), and how the connections between open-source contributors can be visualized.

Join the NLJUG JSpring Conference on Thursday, June 5

Mon, 19 May 2025 08:11:26 +0000

Join the Dutch Java community at J-Spring 2025, the premier Java conference in the Netherlands, taking place Thursday, June 5th at Jaarbeurs Utrecht.

This international event, organized by the NLJUG (Dutch Java User Group), will be bigger than ever before, offering attendees a comprehensive program featuring world-class speakers from across the globe. Dive deep into the world of Java with expert speakers from leading tech companies such as Uber, Spotify, Azul, Oracle and more, guaranteeing captivating talks and valuable industry insights.

Still Using JUnit Like It’s 2017? Learn What You’ve Missed—from the Team That Built It

Fri, 02 May 2025 08:11:51 +0000

(And finally catch up on 8 years of updates you might have missed)

Let’s be honest: When was the last time you really looked at what’s new in JUnit?

If you’re still using JUnit the way you did years ago, you’re not alone. But here’s the thing—JUnit 5 has evolved massively since its first release. Over the last 8 years and 12 feature-packed updates, it’s become a powerful, expressive, and extensible platform… if you know how to use it right.

IBM's Chief Java Architect Flies in from Canada to Share JVM Optimization Secrets—Will You Be There?

Tue, 29 Apr 2025 10:14:21 +0000

It’s not every day that Mark Stoodley , IBM’s Chief Architect for Java , flies from Canada to Europe to lead a hands-on workshop. At JCON EUROPE 2025, you have a rare opportunity to sit down, code, and ask your questions to one of the most influential technical leaders in the Java world.

With over two decades of deep JVM experience, Mark has shaped the runtime used by thousands of enterprise applications worldwide. He led the transformation of IBM’s J9 JVM into the open-source OpenJ9 and OMR projects. This isn’t just a workshop—it’s your chance to tap directly into the mind of the architect behind the tech that powers your Java workloads.

Free Foojay.io Tickets for JCON EUROPE 2025, Cologne!

Sat, 26 Apr 2025 08:16:44 +0000

🎉 JCON EUROPE 2025 (May 12–15)

🌍 Celebrating 30 Years of Java & 10 Years of JCON – with the Global Java Community

Welcome to JCON EUROPE 2025, the international Java conference where the heart of the Java community beats loud and proud! Over 60 countries will be represented as Java developers from around the globe come together in Cologne to learn, connect, and celebrate three decades of Java innovation and a decade of JCON magic.

Foojay Podcast #69: All Things Java at VoxxedDays Amsterdam

Mon, 14 Apr 2025 11:23:24 +0000

On April 3rd, the first VoxxedDays event in Amsterdam took place. VoxxedDays are tech events organized by local community groups, with support from the Devoxx team. Geertjan Wielenga brought along a camera and microphone and spoke with many of the attendees.

This is the first Foojay podcast ever to feature more than 20 guests! Geertjan asked the same two questions to many of conference visitors: “Tell us who you are and what excites you about the technology landscape?” and “What are two tips or insights you’d like to share?”

Breaktime Tech Talks (Ep37): Vector Database Frustration + Microsoft LazyGraphRAG

Wed, 19 Mar 2025 12:54:36 +0000

This is episode 37 of the Breaktime Tech Talks.

You are listening to the Breaktime Tech Talks podcast, a bite-sized tech podcast for busy developers, where we’ll briefly cover technical topics, new snippets, and more in short time blocks. I’m your host, Jennifer Reif, an avid developer and problem solver with special interest in data, learning, and all things technology.