Upgrade To Modern Java

This comprehensive presentation explores the evolution of Java from version 8 through 25, demonstrating how the language has transformed from an object-oriented platform into a modern, multi-paradigm programming language. Starting with Java 8's functional programming revolution—including lambdas, streams, and Optional—the presentation traces Java's journey through significant milestones like records, pattern matching, virtual threads, and data-oriented programming. Through practical code examples from a real repository, attendees will see how these features work together to create more expressive, maintainable, and performant applications.

The presentation begins with Java 8's game-changing features, using the ProcessDictionaryV2 example to showcase functional programming patterns, higher-order functions, and advanced Stream API usage including collectors like groupingBy and teeing. It then progresses through Java 9-11's quality-of-life improvements (var, HTTP Client, String enhancements), Java 12-17's language evolution (text blocks, records, pattern matching, sealed classes), and Java 18-21's modern capabilities (virtual threads for massive scalability, sequenced collections). Special attention is given to Data-Oriented Programming, demonstrating how records, sealed classes, and pattern matching combine to create a new programming paradigm. The presentation also covers cutting-edge features like unnamed variables (_) and looks ahead to Java 25 LTS with scoped values and performance improvements. Throughout, best practices are emphasized, including embracing immutability, leveraging pattern matching for cleaner code, using virtual threads for I/O-bound operations, and adopting modern APIs over legacy alternatives. All examples are drawn from the accompanying repository, providing attendees with working code they can explore and adapt for their own projects.

About Kenneth Kousen

Ken Kousen is a Java Champion, several time JavaOne Rock Star, and a Grails Rock Star. He is the author of the Pragmatic Library books “Mockito Made Clear” and “Help Your Boss Help You,” the O'Reilly books “Kotlin Cookbook”, “Modern Java Recipes”, and “Gradle Recipes for Android”, and the Manning book “Making Java Groovy”. He also has recorded over a dozen video courses for the O'Reilly Learning Platform, covering topics related to Android, Spring, Java, Groovy, Grails, and Gradle.

His academic background include BS degrees in Mechanical Engineering and Mathematics from M.I.T., an MA and Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering from Princeton, and an MS in Computer Science from R.P.I. He is currently President of Kousen IT, Inc., based in Connecticut.

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