A Java geek

Cloneable, a Java design gotcha

Some time ago, I described a couple of surprising design choices in the JDK functional interfaces API. Lately, during a lesson, a student of mine proposed to shallow-copy an ArrayList by using the clone() method: I thought this is another API gotcha worth writing about. Cloning an object means a new object is created with the same state as the original one. As per the JavaDoc: Creates and returns a copy of this object. The precise meaning of 'copy' may depend on the class of the object.

Programming

Learning Clojure: dynamic dispatch

This is the 4th post in the Learning Clojure focus series. A common pattern in software development is the dynamic dispatching (or routing) table. The table is responsible for returning the relevant output for a specific input. In the Object-Oriented programming world, the object model would look something like the following.

Programming

Learning Clojure: the arrow and doto macros

This is the 3rd post in the Learning Clojure focus series. For me, learning a new language is like getting into the sea: one toe at a time. This week, we will have a look at some powerful macros.

Programming

Learning Clojure: coping with dynamic typing

This is the 2nd post in the Learning Clojure focus series. My new position requires me to get familiar with the Clojure language. In intend to document what I learn in a series of posts, to serve as my personal reference notes. As a side-effect, I hope it will also be beneficial to others who want to take the same path.

Miscellaneous

A new milestone in my career

Two weeks ago, I started a completely new position at a new company: I’m now Developer Advocate (or to be more accurate, Developer Relationships Manager) at a company called Exoscale that offers Cloud Computing resources. There’s nothing technical this week, but a lot about me. You’re welcome to skip if that’s not your cup of tea. Or read on if you’d like to know more about me.

Java

Crafting Java policy files, a practical guide

This is the 4th post in the JVM Security focus series. In one of my previous posts, I described how to create a custom policy file for one’s application. The process was manual and incremental. Because of that, it was painstakingly long, and hence not really useful. Since I wrote the post, I found a way to write the policy file under in a couple of hours, instead of days.

Java

Default methods in Java 8, and what it changes in API design

Java 8 introduced default methods in interfaces. This post describes what they are, and how they can change the design of APIs. A nominal design Earlier, in Java, interfaces could only have contracts - method signatures with no implementation. In order to add some implementation, a class was required, whether abstract or not. Hence, traditional API design then followed this hierarchy: The root interface defines the contractAn intermediate class implements common behavior i.e.

Java

Back to basics: Dependency Injection

After years of near-ubiquitous usage of Dependency Injection, I see more and more posts and talks questioning its value. Some even go to the point where they argue against it. Most of it however is based on a whole lot of misconceptions, half-truths and blatant lies. In this post, I’d like to go back to the roots of DI, describe some related features and lists available frameworks.

Development

Decoding Clojure code, getting your feet wet

Recently, I had some some fun writing functional Kotlin to solve the FizzBuzz test. I asked for some feedback, and one of the answer I received was in Clojure: In Clojure there's the classic way, with condp and mod. There's also another way using cycle that I saw some years ago. The range and the 2 cycles will generate the fizz & buzz, the rest just decides what to print.Will be easier for you with syntax highlighting -> screenshots pic.twitter.

Nicolas Fränkel's blog