S4E5 - Moving Java Forward with Sharat Chander

Join Dan Vega and DaShaun Carter for an insightful discussion with Sharat Chander, Senior Director of Java Product Management & Developer Relations at Oracle. With JavaOne 2025 on the horizon and Java's 30th anniversary approaching, Sharat shares his vision for Java's future and reflects on his two-decade journey in shaping the Java community. From his pivotal role in JavaOne to leading developer relations initiatives, discover how Java continues to evolve and adapt to modern development needs. Get an exclusive preview of what to expect at JavaOne 2025 in Redwood Shores and learn about the exciting features coming in Java 24.

Topics Discussed

Java's 30th Anniversary

• Java will be celebrating 30 years on May 23, 2025
• Discussion about Java's longevity despite being "declared dead" multiple times

The Java Platform and Community

• Java as both a technology platform and a community platform
• Value of bi-directional relationships in community building
• The importance of user groups (nearly 370 Java user groups worldwide)
• Importance of reciprocity in community engagement
• The OpenJDK community as a demonstration of collaborative development

Upcoming Conferences

DevNexus

• Happening in just over two weeks (17 days from recording)
• Longest running and largest third-party Java conference in North America
• Run by the Atlanta Java User Group
• Celebrating nearly 20 years

JavaOne

• March 18-20, 2025 at Oracle's campus in Redwood Shores
• Will feature six parallel tracks
• Many Java team members will be present, including:
  • Mark Reinhold (Java architect)
  • Brian Gets (Java language architect)
  • Paul Sandos (Java AI strategy)
  • Ron Pressler (Project Loom)
• Special discount code for Java User Group members valid through March 10th

JDK 24 Release

• Scheduled for March 18, 2025 (coinciding with first day of JavaOne)
• Will include numerous JEPs (JDK Enhancement Proposals)
• Discussion about the preview feature process and gathering community feedback

Other Java Resources Mentioned

Essential Resources Mentioned

1. OpenJDK Community: openjdk.org
   • Where Java is created
   • Location for long-term investment projects (Panama, Valhalla, Amber, Loom)
   • Place to participate in Java development
2. Dev Java: dev.java
   • Learning portal for all things Java
   • Tutorials and community information
   • Java playground for testing features
3. Inside Java: inside.java
   • Aggregation of publications from the Java team
   • Easy discovery of content by author and topic
4. Java YouTube Channel: youtube.com/Java
   • Educational Videos for learning Java

Notable Quotes

"Community means bi-directional information sharing that you stay connected on for the long term." - Shar

"For me, community is about taking care of each other." - Shar

"One of my favorite words that doesn't get often used, but we need to make it more of our vernacular is reciprocity." - Shar

Next Steps

• Follow the Java team at upcoming conferences
• Check out JDK 24 release on March 18
• Explore early access builds for Java 25
• Get involved with your local Java User Group