At the very beginning of 2014 I decided to start to track my reading habits and share the best stuff here, on Baeldung.
Curating my reading has made it more purposeful and diverse – and I’m hopefully providing value to you as well by allowing the best content of the week to raise to the top.
Here we go…
1. Java and Spring
>> JavaOne 2014: Roadmaps for the near future of Java
A very cool visual roadmap of the Java platform going forward.
>> Java 9 Behind the Scenes: Where Do New Features Come From?
Super interesting behind the scenes look at how the Java language itself evolves. The process is not as transparent as it should be, and it’s articles like this that make it just a bit more transparent.
>> Integration testing done right with Embedded MongoDB
If you’re using MongoDB – this looks like a good way to set up an external DB to run integration tests against, using Maven. You might also want to check the followup shortly after, on MongoDB Incremental Migration Scripts.
>> Injecting domain objects instead of infrastructure components
Interesting take on DI – one that I’ve been staying clear but – I can see how, for certain specific usecases – it might be a good way to go. Regardless – it’s a quick and informative read.
>> Spring @Configuration and injecting bean dependencies as method parameters
A very quick look at the basics of Java Spring configuration – it’s a good place to start.
>> Whats new in Spring Data Evans?
A very useful rundown of all the new features in the latest release train of Spring Data. I’m particularly excited about the multi-store support – planning to make use of that soon.
And of course the Spring releases that I found most interesting this week:
- >> Spring Boot 1.1.8 released and Spring Boot 1.2.0.M2 Available Now
- >> Spring Tool Suite and Groovy/Grails Tool Suite 3.6.2 released
2. Technical and Musings
>> Validate Configuration on Startup
I do remember when I spent a whole day trying to identify and fix a configuration problem only to realize that I mistyped something – it wasn’t a fun day. That was a few years ago now and I’ve been validating the configuration of all my projects on startup ever since. Yeah – go read this one.
>> What Your Tests Don’t Need to Know Will Hurt You
Listening to your tests and starting to see the irrelevant code in those tests as code smells is a major element in my own coding practice and probably one of the most impactful ones. Do that enough and you’ll see your design improve as you gain discipline with the refactoring step of TDD.
>> Lessons Learnt Using Microservices
Lessons learnt implementing a complex system with microservices are worth their weight in gold – if you’re planning to go down the microservice route. Don’t just assume that it’s a good way to go – take in these few reports from engineers who’re already doing it before you try it for yourself.
>> Redis cluster, no longer vaporware.
A very interesting writeup about the 4 year story of designing the cluster part of Redis. Inspiring stuff.
>> Inertia
“Traffic jams. They’re hilarious … ”
Now that’s a good way to start an article about startups. This is an interesting musing (it’s not in the “Musings” section for nothing) about inertia in startup culture. When things are good, it breaths enthusiasm in the in all aspects of the culture and when they’re bad – that spreads as well.
3. Comics
Seriousness aside, it’s time for some XKCD:
>> Donald Knuth
>> Purity
>> Hell
4. Pick of the Week
Recently, I introduced the “Pick of the Week” section here in my “Weekly Review”. The interesting part is that it’s entirely exclusive to my email list subscribers.
So – if you came to this article from my email list, you have the pick already – hope you enjoyed it.