TheServerSide Java Symposium 2011 news, views and conference coverage

TheServerSide Java Symposium 2011 was a great success. Java creator James Gosling, Oracle's Java thought leaders and other Java innovators took the stage at this three-day conference in Las Vegas, March 16-18, 2011.

Every year TheServerSide Java Symposium features four dozen sessions for enterprise architects, Java developers and project managers and provides personal contact with Java experts who know and will show how to leverage Java effectively to make the most out of the hybrid enterprise environments, new development methodologies and new service delivery and management platforms.

We've gathered up all our coverage of the 2011 symposium – news, blogs, videos and more – right here, and we're still adding more. 

Post Conference:

James Gosling Unloads on Users of Java 1.4.2
For some, old habits die hard. For others, old versions of the Java platform die hard. And while Java 7 is the talk of the town, the sad fact is that a good number of Java professionals are still compiling against and deploying their applications to a 1.4.2 JDK. So, what should you do if you are using 1.4.2? "Get with the program. Upgrade!" says Gosling, "If I could have I would have pushed an update out that would have caused it to just die. But so many people would just not let go of 1.4.2."
Check out the full article including audio from Gosling's actual keynote address and color commentary from Cameron McKenzie.

Does Open Source Mean Superior Software Quality?
James Strachan, FuseSource's Technical Director and the man that believes he invented the programming language Groovy, took the stage at TheServerSide Java Symposium to spend some time discussing a variety of compelling reasons why Java developers should be contributing to, and working with, open source projects.
Check out the full article including audio directly from Strachan's presentation, Why Open Source Rocks.

James Gosling Extols the Virtues of Hash Tables and RAM
The initial assumption might be that this type of scenario is most feasible when talking about data that is largely read only, or where concurrency and consistency aren't huge issues. However, James Gosling was pontificating on the subject again at TheServerSide Java Symposium, talking up the benefits of in-memory data storage; but this time 'The Father of Java' was extolling the virtues of this approach on highly transactional systems.
Check out the full article including actual audio of Gosling's keynote address and find out how "a hash table and a [lot] of RAM" are practically the same as a database.

Conference Coverage:

Mastering the Oracle Java EE 5 Enterprise Architect exam
Are you thinking of taking the Oracle Certified Java EE 5 Enterprise Architect Exam? Here is some advice from Michael Ernest, the owner of Inkling Research and a Sun Microsystems course instructor for over 15 years, who spoke at TheServerSide Java Symposium on Thursday. This tip includes a sample question and some dos and don'ts.
Read the Tip.

Jeanne Boyarsky is on Fire: Live Blogging from TSSJS 2011
Jeanne Boyarsky is writing prolifically, providing a developer's insight into the technologies being discussed at TheServerSide Java Symposium. Here's a non-exhaustive listing of some of her posts. Surely there's something in here for everyone to enjoy.
Find Links to the Blog.

How to fix the JCP? Participate
During a keynote panel at TheServerSide Java Symposium on Thursday, Patrick Curran, James Gosling and Reza Rahman all agreed that participation is key to making the JCP work as it should, in a democratic fashion.
Read the Full Story.

James Gosling riffs at TSSJS keynote
James Gosling, the father of Java, touched on several topics during hi keynote address, including Oracle's stewardship of Java, the importance of Java Virtual Machine (JVM), JDK 7 and cloud computing. Gosling is particularly concerned with the state of the JVM today. Here's a summary of what Gosling had to say.
Read More.

Conference Videos:

Michael Ernest on Oracle Certification exam prep
In this video Michael Earnest gives some quick advice on what to watch out for as you prepare for the Oracle Certification examination. Find out the biggest mistake folks make when they take the Oracle Certification exam.
Watch the Video.

Ben Evans and Martijn Verburg on Java 7
In this video Ben Evans and Martjin Verburg talk about Java 7, the new version of Java that's coming out this summer. Find out what sorts of improvements have been made and when to expect your first look at Java 7.
Watch the Video.

Jeanne Boyarsky on Agile vs waterfall development
Jeanne Boyarsky discusses the differences between the traditional waterfall approach and Agile methods. Find out about the changing role of the project manager, the differences between and agile leader and a project manager and gives some advice on how to move into Agile development.
Watch the Video.

Jonathan Fullam on Test-Driven Development
Jonathan Fullam talks about the benefits of test driven development, the connection between Java and test-driven design, and how test driven design helps in the bug-fixing stage of testing.
Watch the Video.

Open source consultant Heath Kesler on getting started with Camel
Heath Kesler, an open source consultant who specializes in implementing open source frameworks, talks about Camel and how to get started with open source. Takeaways included how to set up a solid open source architecture base and how to route messages.
Watch the Video.

Oracle Fusion Middleware VP breaks down Oracle Exalogic
In this video from our sister site, SearchOracle.com, Oracle Fusion Middleware VP of development Adam Messinger details what he thinks are the benefits of Oracle Exalogic, the company's integrated WebLogic and Java server appliance.
Watch the Video.

Lasse Koskela on The importance of test code
Lasse Koskela, the author of Test Driven: Practical TDD and Acceptance TDD for Java Developers, talks with executive editor Jan Stafford about the importance of test code.
Watch the Video.

Claus Ibsen: "What is Camel?" / "What are the best uses of Camel?"
Claus Ibsen is an application engineer with Fuse Source who works with Apache Camel. In these videos he answers the questions "What is Camel?" and "What are the best uses of Apache Camel?"

James Strachan on Apache Camel: Fuse IDE and domain specific languages
James Strachan, who works on Apache Camel as well as other Apache projects, talks about the ability of Apache to work with any of a number of domain specific languages and the capabilities of the Fuse IDE.

Preconference:

TSSJS 2011: A Different Type of Java Conference
The past year has been a tumultuous time for the Java platform. From Oracle's acquisition of Sun to the legal wrangling over Android, from the emergence of cloud-based technologies to the ongoing delays of the release of Java 7, it's clear that Java is in transition. But transitions can be a good thing if you know how to handle the flux; it doesn't have to be a curse to be living in interesting times.
Read More.

“Father of Java” James Gosling to keynote at TSSJS 2010
The father of Java, James Gosling, to kick off Day One! With everyone buzzing about the just-finalized acquisition of Sun by Oracle and what affect it will have on the industry as a whole, we thought what better way to get an inside perspective than by inviting the “father” of Java programming himself, James Gosling, who will deliver our Day 1 Keynote Address appropriately titled, “Java Today and Tomorrow.”
Read more.

Working with ActiveMQ – Tips from TSSJS presenter Jeff Genender
Jeff Genender is an expert enterprise architect and an open source evangelist, he has over 20 years of software architecture, team lead and development experience in multiple industries. He will be delivering the Architecture track keynote at the upcoming Java Symposium in March, discussing ActiveMQ. In this two-part interview, Genender talks about working with ActiveMQ and about SOA infrastructure.
Read more.

Rod Johnson & James Gosling Keynotes to Bookend TSSJS 2011, March 16th-18th
First off, James Gosling, the father of Java, will be leading the conference with the opening keynote on the morning of Wednesday March 16th. On day two, TSSJS 2011 will be welcoming Oracle’s Steve Harris, the Senior VP of Application Server Development , and Adam Messinger the VP of Development in the Fusion Middleware Group. And finally, Rod Johnson, the creator of the Spring framework and the General Manager of VMWare’s SpringSource division, will be doing the closing keynote on the third day.
Read more.

JavaRanch Joins Forces with TheServerSide at TSSJS 2011
The JavaRanch has never had a conference of their own, so we're welcoming many of their top contributors, scribes and volunteers to TSSJS 2011 in Las Vegas. Not only will the many authors and technology experts that make the JavaRanch work be presenting at TheServerSide Java Symposium, but they'll also be around to do some book signings, answer questions and simply be friendly and affable to anyone who wants to stop by and say hello.
Read more.