Really nice to see IBM represented by IBMers and IBM Champions alike at JCON EUROPE. The ecosystem becomes stronger when people from different companies, communities, and backgrounds come together around Java.

"How do you measure the greatness of a conference? I arrived here, tried to walk around this small circle and it took me 3 hours, since I had so many nice people approaching me with interesting conversations." One of my favorite pieces of feedback for JCON from Adam Bien.

How do you know you made it? When people start selling bootleg copies of your stuff. Yeah, we are there! Our designs are awesome and so is the quality of the fabric of our original t-shrits. Come back next year to JCON and get your high-quality JCON t-shirt from the source!

Thank you to @jcon.one and @richard.fichtner.dev for this leadership award. Building out the #Java community has been a career highlight. #JavaTogether

JCON Team on the road! See you in Cologne!

♠️ JCON Europe is back (April 20–23), bringing together Java enthusiasts from across the globe! 🌍 A strong group of Oracle ACEs will be sharing insights on Java, cloud, and modern development practices—making this a must-attend event for developers looking to stay ahead 🚀☕ 🔗 2026.europe.jcon.one

JCON EUROPE loading ... literally! The JCON team is packed up and ready to go. We are looking forward to seeing you in Cologne next week!

Time flies when you’re connecting great people. 3 years already. Being an IBM Champion was never about the badge for me. It’s about the conversations, the shared ideas, and building bridges between the IBM Java community and the wider Java ecosystem.

Didn’t expect this one to take off like that. My JavaOne talk “How to (Re)start Your Java Journey in 2026” just passed 15,000 views in 9 days.

Throwback to the good old times. Thank you to Sharat Chander for donating some of your personal items! You gotta have both the old and the new. Like JCON EUROPE: reminisce about the old times in the hallway, learn about the new stuff in the sessions! Join us! europe.jcon.one

People keep asking me about the ribbons. Yes, there’s a bit of “catch ’em all” 😄 But they actually do something: they start conversations. You see a topic, you talk, something interesting happens. That’s the real value of in-person conferences. Join us in April in Cologne: 2026.europe.jcon.one

Security is important. Especially today ... so I am only working with signed artifacts. James Gosling signed this one, so it must be good :) PS: Java FX is back www.oracle.com/java/...

One of my favorite JCON moments didn’t happen in a talk. It happened in a hallway because of a T-shirt. Learn about this awesome stroy here: 2026.europe.jcon.one...

Most companies underestimate vendor risk. Until it hits them. Java is different. Oracle leads. IBM, Amazon, Microsoft, SAP, Azul and others invest too. Not a single-vendor story. That’s why I recommend Java. If it’s on your roadmap, let’s talk. At XDEV, we help teams get it right.

JCON EUROPE? We have attendees from 5 continents at JCON EUROPE, but are still missing a few regions in europe. If you live somewhere that's gray on this map, send me a message and let's get you to JCON EUROPE! #JCON 2026.europe.jcon.one

And they say, developer conferences don't have a dress code. Shout out to Volker Simonis for being one of best dressed folks at #JavaOne Get yourself and an awesome Duke shirt at JCON europe.jcon.one

Some of the best people in tech are in the Java community. Sharat Chander is one of them. 25 years of supporting Java, JUGs, and Java Champions. You can tell he truly cares. During #JavaOne, he even turned an errand into a great moment. Big US car, country music, good conversation.

Best track at conferences? The Airport Track or Hallway Track? Waiting at the gate after #JavaOne, having conversations about Planes, Classloaders, ByteCode ... like normal people. Pro tip: wear Java swag. It starts conversations. If you like that vibe: 2026.europe.jcon.one...

JavaOne done. Really good one. Best part: hallway track. Thanks Sharat Chander, Chad Arimura and team. You can feel the care. Also: gave 2 talks. Java ecosystem is in a strong place. Tools like OpenRewrite, Vaadin, EclipseStore make a real difference. Next stop: JCON Europe europe.jcon.one

“Lombok is like cocaine. At first, it feels awesome, but after a while, you regret your choices.” Heard that at JavaOne last year—and it came back to me today during the fireside chat.. Lombok solved real problems, now Java evolves (records, pattern matching), and those gaps are closing. #JavaOne

Java keeps getting faster… without us changing much. The JIT improvements from 21 → 26 alone are significant (Netflix saw up to 3.5x in cases). Brian Goetz said: “Thinking is hard.” Feels true. Code gets easier. Performance gets “free.” Thinking is the work. Before you optimize—try Java 26.

JavaFX is back — now part of the Java Verified Portfolio. Proper support again across Java versions. Big for desktop apps. Modern Java can do way more than people think — even AI and full stack with fewer moving parts. Also: great hallway track, Brian Goetz, Stuart Marks, and Duke 🙂

On my way to JavaOne at Oracle Headquarters ✈️ The fantastic crew of today’s Airbus A380 from Munich to San Francisco let me sit in the captain’s seat for a photo. As a big aviation nerd, that absolutely made my day. Huge thanks to the crew! Who else is heading to JavaOne this week? 👋

Many people still associate AI development almost automatically with Python. Today at the Informatik Campus in Wiesau, I had the chance to show students that the picture is broader than that.

BYLES helped over 13,000 teachers in Bavaria. We built this in Java, passing government regulations on time and within budget! Learn how your software project can be achive the same. Get in touch: xdev.software Full Episode here: www.youtube.com/@cof...

Join us at JavaOne and find out what is possible with a pure Java codebase!

I am sick of the cold. Can I heat up the planet by saying "Thank you" to the AI? ... I should ask the AI about that 😜

Can you believe it? Its alreay March! Get your Java Prank game on for the best April Fool's prank in your team. Use the Music Maven Plugin to prank your colleagues and bring some fun to the office. Or just play elevator music during long builds like my friend Josh Long! github.com/xdev-soft...

I am proud and grateful to be named IBM Champion once more. Next to the awesome Java tech IBM has, they have fantastic people working on Java and the IBM Champions program. Technology works best with a vibrant community. Thank you to Libby, Kathryn, Namitha, and Claudia for caring for the community.

We, in the software world, have been doing agile development for 25 years. Now, teachers in Bavaria can do the same. With BYLES they can track the success of their lessons and adapt to get the best learning success for their students. Of course, built with Java ;) www.youtube.com/@cof...

Just do code reviews and pull requests, and everything will be fine... right? Johannes Rabauer shares his experiences with bad code reviews and what helped teams really get value and joy from reviews and pull requests. Join him at JCON EUROPE: 2026.europe.jcon.one

Java is old! Yes, but the people working on Java are not (all) old :) Yagmur Eren works on the JDK in Stockholm, Sweden. She will be speaking at JavaOne about "Intelligent JVM Monitoring: Combining JDK Flight Recorder with AI". Join us at JavaOne and learn from the people who work on and with Java!

Join us at JavaOne and (re)start your Java Journey in 2026!

On the 25th anniversary of the Agile Manifesto, I had the pleasure of meeting signatory Alistair Cockburn at OOP in Munich. Agile software development has been a guiding principle in my work for over 20 years.

Proud moment: XDEV’s CEO @richard.fichtner.dev is one of only 16 Featured Speakers at #JavaOne. For our customers, that means earlier insight into where Java is heading, smarter modernization decisions, and a partner deeply connected to the ecosystem. #JavaChampion

It's always fun to hang out with you! Thanks for having me on the show! 🤗

I have to rewatch the John Wick Movies to better understand what I can do with this coin. I will keep an eye out for a secret door at JavaOne. Or maybe I have to put it back into a treasure chest to be mortal once more. Find answers to this and other Questions around Java at javaone.com

Jfokus in Stockholm was fantastic—amazing global Java community vibes. I shared our BYLES case study (13k teachers, 200k students), mentored on “Building Communities,” and had a fun live chat with Josh Long about Maven plugins. Huge thanks to the Jfokus team —conferences rock, get a ticket near you!

Meet the #JUnit team in Cologne, Germany, in April at #JCON! @marcphilipp.de will give a talk about the road to JUnit 6 and Christian and Rien will be attending as well. Please use the following link to support JUnit (10% of the proceeds will go back to the project): pretix.eu/impuls/europ...

Join the #Java community at JCON Europe, a unifying spot where enthusiasts across nations gather under one interactive platform! Don't miss this golden chance! Check out @richard.fichtner.dev 's take on it here: foojay.io/today/one-ja... #JavaCommunity #JCONEurope

CSS has been haunting people for over a hundred years . As you can see in the Stockholm City Hall. The knight on the top is missing its head. But back then, people just shipped it without any AI to blame. Brave folks these Swedes.

On my way to Stockholm for Jfokus! I am looking forward to connecting with the Java Community in Sweden! Come and see our talk and learn how Java play an important role to create more education equality in Bavaria.

Learn more about (Re)starting Your Java Journey in 2026 by joining me at #JavaOne (March 17-19 | Redwood Shares, CA). Come and connect with the people who make Java! Use code J12026SSM at checkout by Monday, Feb 9 to save $50 off your early registration. See you there! social.ora.cl/6002h6oOr

Join us in Stockholm! For @jfokus.se

Join us in Munich and learn how to bring your Java apps back to TOP!

I gave quite a few talks last year. It was great to connect with the Java community and learn from each other! 🙌

What a great way to start the year - with a postcard from the Java DevRel team at Oracle! A big thank you to all of them for keeping the people who work on Java connected with the people who work with Java. Join us in March at JavaOne! www.oracle.com/javao...

Java Champion Richard Fichtner will be at #jChampionsConference 2026 and share practical strategies for modernizing long-standing Java apps — from @openrewrite.github.io upgrades to Swing→@vaadin.com migrations & the human side of modernization. 🙌 The event is free & fully online. Don't miss it!

"Reflection requires stillness. One cost of rushing from thing to thing is that you lose the space to think. Hard work matters, but nonstop motion often hides a quiet truth: you could have used your time better.

The best time of the year! Just sent out the first wave of JCON EUROPE acceptance mails. Check your inbox!