How to Build Java Applications Today: #58
Tags: java, bpf
Published: 2021-12-07 22:51:04

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canonical_url: https://bpfnl.substack.com/p/how-to-build-java-applications-today-634

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## TL;DR

Stand-up and Java Full-Stack Index December 2021.

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## README

Welcome to my newsletter “How To Build Java Applications Today”! If you like it, then [subscribe to it on Substack](https://bpfnl.substack.com)! Or read it on [dev.to](https://dev.to/ksilz/series/11995) or [Medium](https://ksilz.medium.com). Even better: Share it with people who may be interested.

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## Next Issue: Wednesday, January 5, 2022

My newsletter usually appears on the first Wednesday of every month.

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## Stand-Up

So here’s the **second** issue on the monthly cadence. I spent all my time on the “Java Full-Stack Index” (see below), measuring the popularity of technologies in five areas with four data points. I planned to add a new section to the newsletter but ran out of time. Why?

I attended Devoxx UK, where I [gave one talk](https://betterprojectsfaster.com/learn/talks-devoxxuk-2021-how-to-build-front-ends/), and W-JAX Munich, where I gave two talks ([here](https://betterprojectsfaster.com/learn/talks-w-jax-2021-jhipster-faster-tools-and-technologies/) and [here](https://betterprojectsfaster.com/learn/talks-w-jax-2021-data-versions-in-java/)). I was on-site for both conferences. Finally!

I'm also honored to be on the Program Committee (PC) for the next [QCon London](https://qconlondon.com/#committee). It's my first time on a conference PC, and I'm loving it!

Apart from all my conference activities, I also worked in my own start-up. And finally, I set up my brand-new MacBook Pro 16" with M1 Max and 64 GB RAM. You know, "My computer has too much RAM!" isn’t a valid sentence in English! 😁

Anyhow, I hope to have a new section in my newsletter next month. See you then!

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Interested? Then check out my resume & work samples!

[Check out my resume & work samples ](https://ksilz.com/)

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## Java Full-Stack Index December 2021

What do we need to build a Java application today? A JVM language, a database, a back-end framework, a web framework, and - if we want to get fancy - a mobile app framework. So my index recommends technologies in these five areas, based on popularity, industry analysis, and my 22 years of Java experience.

**Why** am I measuring popularity?

- Picking a **popular technology** makes our developer life easier: Easier to learn, easier to build, debug & deploy, easier to hire, and easier to convince teammates & bosses. 
- Popularity can make a difference in two situations: When multiple technologies **score the same**, you could go for the **most** popular one. And when a technology is **very unpopular**, we may **not** use it.

**How** am I measuring popularity?

I measure popularity by systematically observing what **millions** of developers do. And by monitoring not one but four popularity data points across the entire technology adoption journey, I can **forecast the popularity of technologies in the near future**.

- I look at technology popularity as a **funnel** from interest to learning, application, and finally to skill.
- **Quantity decreases** in the funnel - we're interested in many technologies, but few end up on our resumes.
- **Time increases** in the funnel - it takes many months, often years, for technology to move from "interest" to "skill".
- We're interested in the **trend of the ratio between competing technologies**.
- We use **Google searches** to measure interest, **Udemy course buyers** to measure learning, **Stack Overflow questions** to measure learning & application, and **mentions in Indeed job ads** to measure skills.

So what's changed over the [index from November](https://betterprojectsfaster.com/guide/java-full-stack-index-2021-11)?

- I **updated** all charts for all technologies with the latest numbers. I collected those November 24-26.
- For JVM languages, databases, and back-end frameworks, I compared the numbers of Udemy students against the ones from November. For JVM languages, I did the same for mentions in Indeed job ads. This **hints at trends**, but these trends need more time to become visible.
- Both the front-end and back-end frameworks now show **all** technologies in the charts for the numbers of Udemy students and the mentions in Indeed job ads.
- I corrected several typos. I barely managed to get last month's issue out before I went off to my conferences, so I couldn't proofread this properly then.

[Java Full-Stack Index December 2021](https://betterprojectsfaster.com/guide/java-full-stack-index-2021-12)

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## About

Karsten Silz is the author of this newsletter. He is a full-stack web & mobile developer with 22 years of Java experience, author, speaker, and marathon runner. Karsten got a Master's degree in Computer Science at the Dresden University of Technology (Germany) in 1996.

Karsten has worked in Europe and the US. He co-founded a software start-up in the US in 2004. Karsten led product development for 13 years and left after the company was sold successfully. He co-founded the UK SaaS start-up "[Your Home in Good Hands](https://yourhomeingoodhands.co.uk/)" as CTO in 2020. Since 2019, Karsten also works as a contractor in the UK.

Karsten has [this newsletter](https://bpfnl.substack.com/), a [developer website](https://betterprojectsfaster.com/), and a [contractor site](https://ksilz.com/). He's on [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/ksilz/), [Twitter](https://twitter.com/karsilz), and [GitHub](https://github.com/ksilz). Karsten is also an [author at InfoQ](https://www.infoq.com/profile/Karsten-Silz).