At the very beginning of last year, I decided to track my reading habits and share the best stuff here, on Baeldung. Haven't missed a review since.

Here we go…

1. Spring and Java

>> Q&A with Aleksey Shipilev on Compact Strings Optimization in OpenJDK 9 [infoq.com]

If you're interested in the inner workings of JDK 9, this interview is well worth a read.

>> O Java EE 7 Application Servers, Where Art Thou? [antoniogoncalves.org]

Very interesting numbers on the current state of Java EE 7 application servers.

>> Hystrix To Prevent Hysterix [keyholesoftware.com]

An good intro to Hystrix for a resilient system architecture.

The writeup is a bit verbose at the beginning, but it gets quite interesting and useful later on.

Also worth reading:

Webinars and presentations:

Time to upgrade:

2. Technical

>> Thank you Waitrose, now fix your insecure site [troyhunt.com]

The right way to do HTTPS when it comes to sending user credentials over the wire. Not super complicated, but it seems that not everybody's doing it right.

A useful and fun one to read.

>> Basics of Web Application Security: Encode HTML output [martinfowler.com]

The next installment in the security series I covered last week.

And a quick side-note – this article is what's called an “evolving publication” – kind of a unique concept and maybe something that shows us that we don't have to publish work in the same old way we're used to.

Also worth reading:

3. Musings

>> We’re Not Beasts, So Let’s Not Act Like It [daedtech.com]

Being an employee and being a consultant coming in for a limited amount of time are two very different things. Not only different financially and organizationally, but at a fundamental level that has a lot more to do with mindset.

This writeup explores that difference in a practical and funny way – definitely have a read if you skirting the border between employee and consultant (or thinking about it).

>> The Tyranny of the P1 [dandreamsofcoding.com]

Dan is taking a page out of Amy Hoy‘s playbook and getting back to product basics.

Of course the problem is that these aren't the fun features to build into the product and it takes oh so much discipline to stay away from those.

>> Is Unlimited PTO a Good Deal for Me? [daedtech.com]

The first time I read about the concept of unlimited vacation time, I was excited about the idea for about five minutes, and then started to understand the nuances and implications of what that actually meant.

This piece explores those nuances in a clear and insightful way.

>> The software engineer’s guide to asserting dominance in the workplace [medium.com]

Funniest thing I read all week.

Also worth reading:

4. Comics

And my favorite comisc of the week:

>> I didn't know you could gift-wrap creepiness [dilbert.com]

>> Can we watch? [dilbert.com]

>> Backslashes [xkcd.com]