Duke's Corner

Duke’s Corner is a forum for conversations with Java developers. Tune in to connect with the community and learn how developers are innovating with Java around the world. Host: Jim Grisanzio, Oracle Java Developer Relations @jimgris

Francisco Contreras: I Felt Like I Could do Anything! 06/28/2025

Francisco Contreras: I Felt Like I Could do Anything! Jim Grisanzio from Java Developer Relations talks with Francisco Contreras, who is a Java developer and a co-organizer at Nicaragua JUG. Francisco has been a Java developer for over 15 years and he runs his own consulting business with customers around the world. He's passionate about Java the technology and also Java the community. "When I learned Java at university I felt like I could do anything with that," he said, talking about how Java enables him to engage developers, write really great software, and also grow a business. But Java goes well beyond just technology. When Francisco had some personal challenges in his life, he was happy that many community members immediately offered to help him. "The sense of community in the Java environment is just awesome!" Francisco Contreras JUG Nicaragua Java User Groups Duke's Corner Jim Grisanzio /episode/index/show/oraclegroundbreakers/id/37203325

Ivar Grimstad: Java for Everything 05/20/2025

Ivar Grimstad: Java for Everything Jim Grisanzio from Java Developer Relations talks with Ivar Grimstad, who is a Java Champion, a JCP Executive Committee Member, and a Jakarta EE Developer Advocate. Ivar is based in Sweden but travels to over 40 events a year talking about Java and Open Source with thousands of developers. He feels passionately about contributing to Java projects as the best way for young developers to learn Java and connect with the community, especially at Java conferences. Ivar has been working with Java professionally since 2000, but he's been solving problems with code since he was a little kid around 12 or 13 years old. "Java has been my go-to language for everything!" he says. "It's been here for 30 years and it'll probably be around for 30 more!" Ivar Grimstad Duke's Corner Jim Grisanzio /episode/index/show/oraclegroundbreakers/id/36638235

Duke's Corner Live at JavaOne! 04/06/2025

Duke's Corner Live at JavaOne! The Duke’s Corner Java Podcast contributed an 11 minute segment to the Community Keynote at JavaOne 2025 in California in March. Jim Grisanzio from Oracle Java Developer Relations hosted the program with special guests Cay Horstmann, Marit van Dijk, and Lize Raes. The panel covered the latest bits in Java, how to contribute to the community, and the best bits from JavaOne. Everyone had a great time! Here’s the full Community Keynote session from JavaOne in March 2025: Here's the 11 minute segment in video: https://x.com/jimgris/status/1907660414550176236 /episode/index/show/oraclegroundbreakers/id/36022640

Tom Cools: My Mission to Spread Java 03/09/2025

Tom Cools: My Mission to Spread Java Jim Grisanzio from Java Developer Relations talks with Tom Cools, an engineer from Belgium, a conference speaker, a Java Champion, and the leader of the Belgian Java User Group. "I make it my mission to spread Java all over Belgium," says Tom as he describes how he runs the BeJUG as an Open Source project that takes contributions from the community. Here in this conversation Tom also talks about how the recent evolution of Java with rapid release cycles and new innovations attracted him to the language he loves. Tom is also a certified teacher so we discussed learning strategies, stress management, social media, managing change, AI, burnout, and other life experiences developers must deal with as they navigate through their careers in software development. Tom Cools Duke's Corner Jim Grisanzio /episode/index/show/oraclegroundbreakers/id/35591685

François Martin: Teaching Java, Contributing to Java 02/28/2025

François Martin: Teaching Java, Contributing to Java Jim Grisanzio from Java Developer Relations talks with François Martin, a full stack developer from Switzerland who loves teaching Java to students and contributing to the Java community. This conversation ranges from teaching students Java from scratch, the value of test driven development, the lessons from NASA's Apollo project, the benefits — and surprises — of contributing to open source projects, and so much more. Even open source marketing and The Cluetrain Manifesto came up! François is passionate about coding in Java and sharing his experiences with other developers at JUG meetings and conferences. Java was the first language he learned and that seems to made all the difference in the world. François Martin Duke's Corner Jim Grisanzio /episode/index/show/oraclegroundbreakers/id/35478445

Marit van Dijk Previews JavaOne 2025! 02/17/2025

Marit van Dijk Previews JavaOne 2025! Jim Grisanzio from Java Developer Relations talks with Marit van Dijk, a Java Champion and also a Java Developer Advocate at JetBrains. Marit will present on developer productivity with IntelliJ IDEA at JavaOne March 18-20 in California. Go to javaone.com and register and we'll see you there! Marit van Dijk JavaOne 2025 Duke's Corner Jim Grisanzio /episode/index/show/oraclegroundbreakers/id/35309970

Venkat Subramaniam: Be Agile about Being Agile! 02/04/2025

Venkat Subramaniam: Be Agile about Being Agile! Jim Grisanzio from Java Developer Relations talks with Venkat Subramaniam, who is a Java Champion, professor, programmer, and a conference organizer. The conversation ranges from the upcoming JavaOne conference in California in March 2025 to building the Java community, engaging the next generation of Java developers, the importance of going to Java user groups, career building, the evolution of Java technology, agile development, release models, and his upcoming book — Cruising Along with Java. This is a jam packed episode that has something for everyone. Here's quick bit from the interview from Venkat: "One of the biggest contributions Java has made is to truly show to us the developers what agile development really should be!" Venkat Subramaniam Jim Grisanzio Duke's Corner JavaOne 2025 /episode/index/show/oraclegroundbreakers/id/35147370

Richard Fichtner Previews JavaOne 2025! 01/30/2025

Richard Fichtner Previews JavaOne 2025! Jim Grisanzio from Java Developer Relations talks with Richard Fichtner as he previews his upcoming session at JavaOne in March and offers his perspective on what makes JavaOne special! Go to javaone.com and register and we'll see you there! Richard Fichtner JavaOne 2025 Duke's Corner Jim Grisanzio /episode/index/show/oraclegroundbreakers/id/35079445

Venkat Subramaniam Previews JavaOne 2025! 01/26/2025

Venkat Subramaniam Previews JavaOne 2025! Jim Grisanzio from Java Developer Relations talks with Venkat Subramaniam as he previews his upcoming session at JavaOne in March and offers his perspective on what makes JavaOne special! Go to javaone.com and register and we'll see you there! This is just a short JavaOne preview with Venkat. Later this week we'll release the full podcast where we cover many topics about software development — and more JavaOne too! Venkat Subramaniam JavaOne 2025 Duke's Corner Jim Grisanzio /episode/index/show/oraclegroundbreakers/id/35011680

Sharat Chander: Celebrating the Java Community 12/19/2024

Sharat Chander: Celebrating the Java Community Jim Grisanzio from Java Developer Relations talks with Sharat Chander, Senior Director, Java Product Management and Community Engagement. Shar and Jim summarized some community development achievements for 2024 and gave a peek into what's coming for 2025 — JavaOne! That's right, JavaOne 2025 will be held in March 18-20 in California and you can register right now at . Sharat Chander Oracle Java Developer Relations Team JavaOne 2025: Registration now Open! Duke's Corner Jim Grisanzio /episode/index/show/oraclegroundbreakers/id/34528000

Ted M. Young: Java has been my Career! 12/16/2024

Ted M. Young: Java has been my Career! Jim Grisanzio from Java Developer Relations talks with Ted M. Young from the San Francisco Bay Area about all things Java and test driven development. Ted streams his coding sessions and builds community around his passion for excellence in software development. His first JavaOne was the first JavaOne! And he's been coding in Java ever since. His mantra is to "reduce the suffering and increase the joy of software development" and he's made Java his career. Ted also deeply appreciates the JVM: "It's one of the wonders of the software world." Can't beat that. Ted M. Young Duke's Corner Jim Grisanzio /episode/index/show/oraclegroundbreakers/id/34464620

Donald Raab: Unlimited, Untapped Resources 11/29/2024

Donald Raab: Unlimited, Untapped Resources Jim Grisanzio from Java Developer Relations talks with Donald Raab, a Java Champion, the founder of the Eclipse Collections project, and a perfectionist who always seeks the best quality code. The conversation ran wild around all things Java and Donald's experiences with the technology for decades. He spoke in detail about the twenty year history of the Eclipse Collections project, his interactions with engineers on OpenJDK, the OpenJDK Quality Outreach Project, and the benefits for everyone being involved with not only Java but the greater FOSS community. In fact, when talking about the community, Donald said that working with the community is like engaging "unlimited, untapped resources ... you said community, well, it's real." Donald's book on Eclipse Collections comes out soon too! Donald Raab Duke's Corner Jim Grisanzio /episode/index/show/oraclegroundbreakers/id/34199290

Piotr Przybyl: The Creativity is Amazing 11/18/2024

Piotr Przybyl: The Creativity is Amazing Jim Grisanzio from Java Developer Relations talks with Piotr Przybyl, a Java Champion and developer advocate in Poland who realized at a young age that "given enough time I could write literally everything! The creativity is amazing! I love it!" Piotr is hard core about coding and his passion for technology comes thorough in this conversation, which ranges from how Piotr embraced Java in school, how he learned more Java on his own, and how he always gives back to the Java community around the world. Piotr Przybyl Jim Grisanzio Duke's Corner Java Podcast /episode/index/show/oraclegroundbreakers/id/33975357

Cesar Hernandez: Sharing with the Community 10/21/2024

Cesar Hernandez: Sharing with the Community Jim Grisanzio from Java Developer Relations talks with Cesar Hernandez, a Java Champion, a teacher, and long time contributor to multiple Open Source projects from Guatemala. The conversation ranged from how Cesar blew up his dad's computer to start his computer science career, teaching Java to university students, the benefits of Java technology, and participating at Java User Groups and conferences. And most importantly, Cesar talked about his passion for sharing everything he knows with the community. Cesar Hernandez Jim Grisanzio Duke's Corner Java Podcast /episode/index/show/oraclegroundbreakers/id/33543427

Hanno Embregts: Making the World a Better Place 10/03/2024

Hanno Embregts: Making the World a Better Place Jim Grisanzio from Java Developer Relations talks with Hanno Embregts, a Java Champion and an Oracle ACE Pro from The Netherlands who loves contributing to the Java community and presenting technical and musical sessions at developer conferences. And Hanno is especially passionate about making the world a better place thorough software. In fact, he's been driven by that idea for as long as he can remember! He goes into detail about how the Java community is so innovative, why Java is so technically advanced, and how both can be leveraged to help us all live in a more environmentally sustainable way. Hanno Embregts Jim Grisanzio /episode/index/show/oraclegroundbreakers/id/33310742

Cay Horstmann at JavaZone 2024 09/17/2024

Cay Horstmann at JavaZone 2024 Jim Grisanzio from Java Developer Relations talks with author and Java Champion Cay Horstmann at JavaZone Oslo 2024. The conversation covered Java for small tasks, teaching Java to thousands of students for decades, and the thriving Java conferences around the world. Cay Horstmann Jim Grisanzio /episode/index/show/oraclegroundbreakers/id/33085952

JavaZone: Everything is Possible 09/11/2024

JavaZone: Everything is Possible Jim Grisanzio from Java Developer Relations talks with Dervis Mansuroglu and Marek Machnik last week from JavaZone 2024 in Oslo. Dervis and Marek are two of the organizers from the Norwegian Java User Group who helped lead this year’s JavaZone event. The discussion covered the speakers, the venue, the volunteers, the content, and the community that participated at the conference. Summarizing the overall event, Dervis said, “Whatever you can dream of, it’s possible. Nothing is impossible.” That sentiment was shared by many of the thousands of developers who contributed to make JavaZone an innovative and unique experience. Dervis on X Marek on X JavaZone on X Jim on X /episode/index/show/oraclegroundbreakers/id/33004292

Elias Nogueira: Share Everything you Know! 08/22/2024

Elias Nogueira: Share Everything you Know! Jim Grisanzio from Java Developer Relations talks with Elias Nogueira, a Java Champion and an Oracle ACE Pro from The Netherlands who loves the Java community and sharing everything he's learned. The conversation ranges from Elias’s early experience learning Java and many other programming languages, his desire to improve his career opportunities, moving from Brazil to The Netherlands, learning a new language, and contributing to Java user groups around the world. There are so many beautiful things about the Java community, he says. Yep, we agree. Elias on X Jim on X /episode/index/show/oraclegroundbreakers/id/32689002

Simon Martinelli: Trains, Code, Community, and Teaching! 07/04/2024

Simon Martinelli: Trains, Code, Community, and Teaching! Jim Grisanzio from Java Developer Relations talks with Simon Martinelli, a Java Champion and an Oracle ACE Pro from Switzerland who loves contributing to FOSS projects and teaching students all about Java. The conversation ranges from Simon’s early experience learning Java, working for the Swiss Railway, engaging multiple Java User Groups, and teaching students. Simon also gets into the benefits of modern Java and some of the best features the technology offers for developers. Simon: Jim: /episode/index/show/oraclegroundbreakers/id/32015557

Praveen Mohan: Quality in Java and the Community 06/20/2024

Praveen Mohan: Quality in Java and the Community Jim Grisanzio from Java Developer Relations talks with Praveen Mohan, Director of Java Quality and Infrastructure at the Oracle India Development Center in Bangalore, which is part of the Java Platform Group. The conversation covers the technical details of the quality engineering operation in Bangalore where 40 developers ensure that Java is tested to the highest standards possible before release. Also discussed is how much the team engages the Bangalore Java User Group to build close development relationships with the community. Jim: https://twitter.com/jimgris Praveen: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mohanpraveen/ /episode/index/show/oraclegroundbreakers/id/31819822

Bert Jan Schrijver: Java is a Marvel of Engineering 05/02/2024

Bert Jan Schrijver: Java is a Marvel of Engineering Jim Grisanzio from Java Developer Relations talks with Bert Jan Schrijver from The Netherlands. Bert is a Java Champion, a leader of the Dutch Java User Group, and the CTO and co-founder of OpenValue that he started in 2017. The conversation spans all of Bert's experiences as a software developer, including hacking and gaming as a six-year old, contributing to the computer lab fire in school, blowing out the family's phone bill with his first modem, getting an advanced CS education at university, engaging the Java community globally, and building his own software company. Bert also offers some interesting advice for how people can continue learning and growing and contributing to the community at Java events. He also details why Java is special and why developers embrace the technology: "Java is one of the only languages I know of that has been active and current for so long. And one of the keys is the marvel of engineering in the Java Virtual Machine." Bert: Jim: /episode/index/show/oraclegroundbreakers/id/31087968

Richard Fichtner: JCON 2024 Preview 04/24/2024

Richard Fichtner: JCON 2024 Preview Jim Grisanzio from Java Developer Relations talks with Richard Fichtner, a Java developer from Germany who is also a JUG leader and an Oracle ACE Pro. The conversation previews the upcoming JCON Europe 2024 Conference in Cologne, which will have 100 sessions of core Java technologies and a thousand Java developers from around the world. Richard and the JCON organizing team will be trying some new things this year to facilitate community engagement at JCON so if you are around Germany May 13-16 you are encouraged to stop by and participate. Oracle will be sponsoring the event and will send three teams of engineers to contribute sessions — Java, GraalVM, and Oracle Database. Don't miss it! We hear the food will be great! Richard: JCON: Jim: /episode/index/show/oraclegroundbreakers/id/30966783

Mohammed Aboullaite: With Java it was Love at First Sight 04/03/2024

Mohammed Aboullaite: With Java it was Love at First Sight Jim Grisanzio from Java Developer Relations talks with Mohammed Aboullaite, a Java developer from Morocco who is now based on Stockholm, Sweden. The conversation covers how Mohammed first fell in love with Java in college, and he's been contributing to the community ever since. Mohammed says it's "mind blowing" what happens when you get a bunch of Java developers in the same room because they are so passionate about the technology and the capabilities that it offers. Even after all these years, Java developers are still pushing the limits and innovating. So, get involved! Mohammed on Twitter Jim on Twitter /episode/index/show/oraclegroundbreakers/id/30661578

Marit van Dijk: The Java Community is Awesome! 03/15/2024

Marit van Dijk: The Java Community is Awesome! Jim Grisanzio from Java Developer Relations talks with Marit van Dijk, a Java Champion and Developer Advocate at JetBrains based in The Netherlands. The conversation covers all things Java — the growing community, the latest features to enable developer productivity, contributing to Open Source, advice for students, and Marit's unique background in Social Science Informatics that combines computer science and social science. Marit on Twitter Marit on the Web Jim on Twitter /episode/index/show/oraclegroundbreakers/id/30384148

Jonathan Vila: Everything Changed! 02/28/2024

Jonathan Vila: Everything Changed! Jim Grisanzio from Java Developer Relations talks with Jonathan Vila, a Java engineer and Java Champion based in Barcelona, Spain. The conversation covers Jonathan's long career in software development, his love/hate relationship with various languages, his passion for Java, the benefits of contributing to Open Source, and why he loves the Java community. After Jonathan's first experience with the local Java User Group in Barcelona, Jonathan said that everything changed in his professional life completely. He was a coder who loved technology before Java, but after experiencing Java and the Java community he developed an entirely new appreciation for community and moved his career to a new level. His story is an inspiration for everyone! Jonathan on Twitter Jim on Twitter /episode/index/show/oraclegroundbreakers/id/30152703

Dervis Mansuroglu: Dreaming Big with Java! 02/13/2024

Dervis Mansuroglu: Dreaming Big with Java! Jim Grisanzio from Java Developer Relations talks with Dervis Mansuroglu, a Java engineer and Java Champion based in Oslo, Norway. The conversation covers coding for massively scalable systems, managing engineering teams, running the JavaBin User Group and the JavaZone conference, building the House of Technology, and listening to Pink Floyd while writing your thesis. Dervis is passionate about Java technology and building the Java community. Oh, and try the Pink Floyd bit. It works! Dervis on Twitter Jim on Twitter /episode/index/show/oraclegroundbreakers/id/29933443

Mary Grygleski: Community is Innate! 01/30/2024

Mary Grygleski: Community is Innate! Jim Grisanzio from Java Developer Relations talks with Mary Grygleski, a Java developer and Java Champion based in Chicago. The conversation covers Java's longevity, building the Java community, running the Chicago Java User Group, and the constant need to keep learning. Mary embraces the concept of always becoming a beginner whenever there is a need to learn something new. During the interview Mary and Jim also discovered a common background they have with Sun Microsystems and Solaris! Mary on Twitter Jim on Twitter /episode/index/show/oraclegroundbreakers/id/29710958

Jeanne Boyarsky on Java, Learning, and Contributing 01/17/2024

Jeanne Boyarsky on Java, Learning, and Contributing Jim Grisanzio from Java Developer Relations talks with Jeanne Boyarsky, a Java developer and Java Champion based in New York City. The conversation covers the evolution of Java, some of the core features of the language and platform, contributing to the Open Source community, and how developers learn and keep up with the technology. Jeanne knew she wanted to do something with computers when she first visited the computer museum — at age five! Check out her story right here. She'll inspire you to focus and learn what you love. Jeanne on Twitter: @jeanneboyarsky Jim on Twitter: @jimgris /episode/index/show/oraclegroundbreakers/id/29530218

Sharat Chander: Tis the season of thanks! 12/30/2023

Sharat Chander: Tis the season of thanks! Jim Grisanzio from Java Developer Relations talks with Sharat Chander, Sr. Director, Java Product Management & Community Engagement, about the Java community. The conversation explores Shar's beautiful summary of his experiences with the Java community in 2023 that he published on Inside Java: https://inside.java/2023/12/21/seasons-thanks/ Shar on Twitter: @Sharat_Chander Jim on Twitter: @jimgris /episode/index/show/oraclegroundbreakers/id/29279933

Stéphane Nicoll on Contributing to and Growing Communities 11/22/2023

Stéphane Nicoll on Contributing to and Growing Communities Jim Grisanzio from Java Developer Relations talks with Stéphane Nicoll, a software engineer based in Belgium working on the Spring team. Stéphane talks about his experience becoming a Java developer, his observations seeing Java evolve and improve, and the importance of contributing to Java and Open Source generally. He's keen on building community by directly engaging engineers at events as well as mentoring contributors through the development process for issue reports and code changes. He said that "building our community is super important for us" as he outlined the process that he and his team uses to welcome new developers. That says it all. Get Stéphane on Twitter @snicoll and get Jim on Twitter @jimgris /episode/index/show/oraclegroundbreakers/id/28759473

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