Javaland 2019

From March 19 to 21, 2019, the “JavaLand 2019” event took place at Phantasialand in Brühl near Cologne. The event is named after the Java programming language. In addition to practical tips and insights for Java developers, a wide range of additional topics relevant to IT companies of all sizes were presented.

“The Secret of Successful Teams” and “Reinvent Yourselves! – The 5 Prerequisites for Innovation”

focused on the people behind the source code. It was refreshing to feel that large companies face the same challenges as our medium-sized enterprise. The slides might have been more polished, but the topics and any insights or implementations felt familiar.

“Why Does a Tool Tell Me My Code Is Bad?” and “Edit’n P(r)ay? Or Maybe Better to Test?”

dealt with the generated source code. The benefits of quality and test routines are undeniable, as everyone knows, but both speakers also highlighted the challenges of implementation and the everyday failures. Nobody likes to be patronized, neither by people nor by a tool. Writing tests is tedious, but JUnit tests are still faster to implement than complex UI tests and could prove helpful over the course of a (long-term) project.

“Design Concerns Us All”

raised awareness that developers might need to look beyond their own perspective. End users of the finished product have to interact with and operate it. Not everyone needs to become a designer, but buttons labeled in camelCase might not be the best way to communicate with consumers. All in all, an exciting event that could be concluded with a roller coaster ride.

Text: Dr. Thorsten Libotte