Project Leyden Aims to Improve Java Startup Time Mark Reinhold, Java architect, recently proposed to start work on a new project to improve Java startup time and performance: Project Leyden. As we know, the best way to do that is to make Java apps run natively. GraalVM offers similar capabilities, but it is more about interoperability with other programming languages. I think the main goal of Project Leyden will be the ability to compile the application for a specific operating system, using its native libraries thus improving startup and runtime. ...

Today I have launched the first version of AirPicHub! It is available at airpichub.leskor.com. It took me about a year to develop it. AirPicHub allows you to upload your photos to the cloud, group it by albums, share with others, and access it from any device. No need to worry about managing your gallery. Now I can finally try using it on my own and test it in real life. I hope my relatives and friends will also find it useful. Apart from usage in daily life, I feel like this development experience made me a better software engineer. ...

Spring: Blocking vs non-blocking: R2DBC vs JDBC and WebFlux vs Web MVC This recent article on blocking versus non-blocking Java performance proves the right direction in which Java slowly moves: reactive programming. New R2DBC driver (reactive successor to JDBC) is at its early stage of development (lack of JPA support), but it already shows significant performance benefits of non-blocking computations. Please keep in mind that it works only for high concurrent services. Otherwise, reactive programming brings more overhead than benefits. So don’t rush to rewrite everything asynchronously, if it is already running well. I am working with RxJava and can say for sure that this will become a standard in high-concurrent applications despite its high learning curve. ...

It is fascinating how we are getting used to the ways we pay. I always bring at least some cash with me when I am going away for a long time because it is not possible to pay by card for a minibus ride in Kyiv, leave a tip in a restaurant or buy a snack in a small stall. But I much prefer contactless payments. Indeed, it was the main feature I looked for when upgrading my phone. Now I use it for about 90 percent of my purchases. It doesn’t feel futuristic anymore. It feels normal, as it should be. And it feels very ancient to pay by cash now for me when I have to. ...