This October, we were delighted to bring the Java Oxford (J-Ox) community together for another engaging meetup. With an agenda packed with expert-led talks, lively networking, and valuable knowledge-sharing, it was an evening to remember. Here’s a recap of the highlights.
Arrival and Networking
As always, we kicked off the evening with a relaxed networking session, fuelled by refreshments courtesy of Humand Talent. Whether catching up with familiar faces or welcoming newcomers, the atmosphere set the stage for an engaging and collaborative event.
Talk #1: Why You Need Performance Tests for Proper K8s Scaling
Speaker: Dmitry Chuyko, Senior Performance Engineer at BellSoft
Dmitry Chuyko delivered an insightful presentation on Kubernetes scaling and the critical role of performance testing. Drawing on his extensive experience, Dmitry discussed common pitfalls in container management and how overlooking performance optimisation can lead to unpredictable behaviour, resource inefficiencies, and higher cloud costs.
Key takeaways included:
- Understanding the impact of containers on service behaviour.
- Leveraging microcontainers and native images to streamline deployments.
- Conducting performance testing to ensure cost-efficient scaling.
Dmitry emphasised the importance of aligning development practices with business KPIs and integrating performance tests into the development lifecycle. His practical advice made it clear that smarter container management leads to safer production environments and reduced costs.
Missed Dmitry’s talk? You can revisit his slides and dive deeper into Liberica JDK or his Docker Hub for more resources.
Talk #2: Thinking Outside the JVM Box
Speaker: Neil C Smith, J-Ox Member and Veteran Java Developer
Next, Neil C Smith, one of J-Ox’s longest-standing members, shared his expertise on interacting with native code and systems from within the Java Virtual Machine (JVM).
Neil’s talk covered:
- Controlling and executing native processes.
- Using JNI (Java Native Interface) and JNA (Java Native Access) for native interaction.
- Exciting updates from Project Panama in Java 22, which promises to revolutionise native integration.
Neil also offered real-world insights from his work on Apache NetBeans NBPackage and GStreamer Java bindings, showcasing the challenges and opportunities of extending Java’s capabilities through native processes and libraries.
For Java developers exploring the boundaries of the JVM, Neil’s talk was an eye-opener. You can reach out to Neil directly at neil@codelerity.com.
Stay Connected
With October’s event offering plenty of insights, we’re already looking forward to closing out the year with our final J-Ox meetup of 2024 in December.
Want to get involved?
- Interested in speaking at a future event? Sign up here.
- Looking to sponsor an event? Contact our Community Manager, Rebecca, on rebecca@humand.co.uk to discuss sponsorship opportunities.
Stay up-to-date with announcements by joining the Java Oxford Meetup group here.
Learn More
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