This episode explores the advancements in Java and its integration with Spring, featuring Catherine Edelveis, a developer advocate at Bellsoft. Against the backdrop of Josh Long's busy schedule, including upcoming appearances at various tech events, the conversation delves into Bellsoft's Liberica JDK, highlighting its comprehensive features like bundled JavaFX, Project CRAC, and GraalVM. More significantly, the discussion emphasizes Liberica's role in simplifying Java development by offering various JDK flavors tailored to different needs, such as smaller containers for Spring Boot applications using Alpakita Linux. For instance, Catherine details how switching base images can significantly reduce container size, addressing a common concern in modern development. As the discussion pivoted to Catherine's background, her journey from a linguist and interpreter to a developer advocate is highlighted, showcasing the transferable skills between language expertise and software development. This transition underscores the importance of communication and teaching in software engineering, a point both Josh and Catherine strongly emphasize, concluding that the ability to effectively communicate technical concepts is as crucial as technical proficiency itself. What this means for the future of software development is a greater emphasis on communication and advocacy skills, alongside technical expertise.
