Ajax, Flash, and Java - Choosing The Right Rich Client Technology for Your Next Project

Today's users are beginning to demand richer and richer application experiences. Plain html pages simply don't cut it anymore. Applications like Google Maps (Ajax) and Yahoo Maps (Flash) show how the UI experience can be pushed to the next level. As an IT manager, how do you decide which route to take however? Should you use Ajax because it is the new "it" technology. Is Flash a viable option with its 95%+ browser availability? Perhaps Java deployed through web start is really the best choice in contrast to what the buzz would lead you to believe. This presentation takes a look at these three core rich client technologies from both deployment/user experience and ease of development perspectives.

Creating Polished Swing Applications

Too often, Swing applications are slow, ugly, and hard-to-maintain. It turns out that it doesn't have to be this way. Swing can be used to create highly-responsive, beautiful applications that are very maintainable. If this isn't consistent with your own experience, don't feel bad; its not very obvious how to make Swing sing.

Introducing the Eclipse Rich Client Platform

Rich client application development using Java can be intimidating giving the vast flexibility in application design and structure. It also can be frustrating to create the large number of support services (persistence, menus, event and job frameworks) that a large scale rich client applications needs. The Eclipse Rich Client Platform is one project attempting to solve these issues by providing a core infrastructure that not only provides the day to day services a rich client application developer needs, but also providing a suggested path to guide you down the road of designing your application. This presentation introduces both the Eclipse RCP and the tools provided by the Eclipse IDE that assist developers in writing RCP apps.

Java GUI Deployment 101

This session will introduce attendees to the various options and problems that exist with deployment of a Java UI application written in Swing or SWT. Topics covered will include obfuscation of classes in preparation of deployment, open source installers, and Java Webstart.

Advanced Enterprise Debugging Techniques

This session discusses techniques and tools for debugging enterprise applications (without using System.out.println()!)

Clean Up Your Code: 10 Java Coding Tricks, Techniques, and Philosophies

This session delivers 10 techniques for improving your code, whether you are freshly graduated or a grizzled veteran.

Language-oriented Programming and Language Workbenches: Building Domain Languages atop Java

This session shows how to use Java as the building block for domain-specific languages. It discusses the next revolution in programming: language-oriented programming and the nascent tools that support it.

Pragmatic Extreme Programming

This session talks about how to actually get XP done in the real world (and what to tell your boss).

SOA: Next Wave of Enterprise Development or Return of the Son of CORBA?

Is Service Oriented Architecture the next wave of distributed computing or just the same old crap in a shiny new package? This session provides an overview of what most people agree is the definition of SOA. I talk about SOA, ESB, CORBA, your MOM, and a bunch of other acronyms.

Testing with Selenium

This session describes the use and workings of Selenium, the open source web user interface testing tool.

The Productive Programmer

This session shows you how to become a more productive programmer every day by using tools that you didn't know you already had.

JSF: State of the Art

In 2005, JSF hit its stride, as evidenced from overwhelming support from both vendors and the open-source community. JSF 1.0 had plenty of holes, but open-source projects have arisen to address those needs. This session takes a look at three of those projects: Tomahawk (MyFaces component library) FaceletsSeam

JavaServer Faces: A Whirlwind Tour

In April 2005, annual growth rates for jobs in JavaServer Faces, Struts, and Ruby on Rails were all at about 0%. Today, Struts' growth rate still hovers around 0%, but JSF and Rails have taken off. At the end of 2007, both JSF and Rails were growing at a rate of between 400-500% annually (according to indeed.com).

JSF has passed the adoption tipping point, and is now the Java-based framework of choice, as is evidenced by its ecosystem. From vendors such as MyEclipse and RedHat to open source projects such as Seam, Facelets, and Ajax4JSF, JSF is where the action is.

Come see why JSF is so popular. In this code- and demo-intensive session, I'll show you the fundamentals of JSF.

Prerequisite: Some knowledge of Java-based web applications, such as Struts, is a plus, but is not required. If you have a significant experience with JSF, you probably already know most of what's covered in this session.

Killer Web UIs

User interfaces are usually the most turbulent aspect of an application during development. Constant tinkering with the UI means constant changes to your code, so as a UI developer, you want to minimize the scope and effects of those code changes.

Open-source Java provides two powerful software packages that help you manage UI complexity: Tiles and Sitemesh. Tiles composes webpages from discrete regions of your user interface known as tiles. A tile contains a JSP page for layout and one or more JSP pages for content. Sitemesh decorates webpages with decorators that can be associated with URL patterns. Once you set up your decorators, you can decorate pages that match a decorator's URL pattern.

Shale: Turbo-charge your JSF Apps

JavaServer Faces is a well designed user interface framework, but it lacks a number of features you might otherwise expect out of the box; for example, JSF does not explicitly provide support for client-side validation.

So, from the folks that brought you Struts, comes Shale, a collection of useful enhancements to JSF. A top-level Apache Software Foundation project, Shale adds some really cool features to vanilla JSF, including:

Web flow: script dialog flow Remote Method Calls: easily call JavaBean methods from JavaScript Tapestry-like views: code views in pure HTML Use Apache Commons Validator validators on the client or server, or both JSF testing framework: mocks for easy JSF testing

There's a lot of cool stuff in Shale that makes JSF a much more compelling proposition. Come see what it's all about.

Advanced Hibernate

Hibernate is easy to get started with, but can sometimes be hard to make efficient or secure. In fact, the default settings for Hibernate createapplications that will run slowly, cause unwanted round trips to the database, and may be more restrictive and/or permissive from a security standpointthan you would otherwise want.

Java Platform Security and JAAS

The Java platform is built from the ground up with security in mind. This talk will introduce the security features of the J2SE, building quickly from the basic classes to realistic examples. You will learn the core APIs: SecurityManager, AccessController, Permissions and Policy JAAS Subjects, Principals, and LoginModules

JavaScript for Ajax Programmers

This presentation covers JavaScript from the perspective of an Ajax programmer. We assume that you may be using an Ajax toolkit, but still need to be able to read, modify, and test the JavaScript code in your application. You will learn the common idioms of JavaScript by looking at working code from the Ajax toolkits themselves.

Pragmatic AJAX

Web applications have traditionally been a sort of Faustian bargain, yielding the high-quality user experience that desktop applications can deliver in exchange for incredibly easy deployment and lower support costs.

One of the arguments against creating rich HTML/JavaScript has been how difficult they can be to write and maintain. You will see how to adapt modern Java web frameworks such as JavaServer Faces and Tapestry to ease both the creation and maintenance of these types of applications.

With Ajax we can get a lot of the best of both worlds. Now our web applications can be powerful, usable, an easily deployed!

Web applications have traditionally been a sort of Faustian bargain, yielding the high-quality user experience that desktop applications can deliver in exchange for incredibly easy deployment and lower support costs (i.e., no client software to install, upgrade, and test on every conceivable desktop configuration).

Spring Dependency Injection

Dependency Injection (DI) is the cornerstone of Spring. The core concept is quite simple, but (surprise!) actual practice can become complex. To take full advantage of Spring DI, you need to understand not only the basics on configuration, but also the container lifecycle model and the various hooks provided by the framework.

Spring Intro

The Spring framework is one of the fastest growing open source frameworks. New job postings are gaining rapidly, and many customers are adopting Spring instead of heavier alternatives. In this session, we’ll introduce Spring. You’ll see how Spring can give you much of the power of EJB, without the complexity or pain.

Spring uses concepts like dependency injection and aspect oriented programming to ease standard enterprise development. Spring developers write plain, ordinary Java objects (POJOs), instead of sophisticated components. In this session, you’ll see a basic Spring application. You’ll also see some details about some of the enterprise integration strategies, including:

• Spring AOP • Transactions • Persistence • Model/view/controller

When the session is over, you won’t be an expert, but you should have a much clearer understanding of what Spring does, what it doesn’t do, and why it’s growing so rapidly.

Spring Security with ACEGI

Spring offers developers a simpler, more robust method for configuring applications. These benefits extend to security through the ACEGI framework. ACEGI makes the otherwise daunting task of securing your application logical and straightforward. More importantly, through its support for single sign-on provision through Yale's CAS system and its ability to provide instance-level authorization, Spring extends the common security model of most J2EE apps beyond what they are traditionally capable of.

Enterprise AOP with AspectJ

Enterprise application development is a gold mine for applications of AOP. There are many crosscutting concerns found in a typical enterprise application, ranging from well-known security and transaction management to application- and technology-specific concerns. Using AOP leads to implementations that are easy to understand and easy to change.

Performance Monitoring in J2EE Applications

J2EE has become the main new platform for enterprise application deployment. Good performance is an important business requirement. Supporting this requirement needs application profiling during the development phases and performance monitoring after application deployment. Come to this session to understand challenges and choices in monitoring J2EE applications.

Spring AOP in Depth

Support for aspect-oriented programming is an important part of the Spring framework. It is the AOP support that allows keeping implementation of functionality such as transaction management and security out of your POJOs. While many developers only use aspects provided with Spring, once you understand how it all works, you can make a better use of those aspects, extend them, and write brand new aspects.

Testing Strategies for Web Applications

Ever wondered if you can automate testing of your web application, but couldn't produce a satisfactory solution? If so, this is the session for you! Attend this session to understand the alternatives you have for unit and functional testing of web applications.

The State of AOP

A lot is happening in the field of Aspect-oriented programming (AOP). AspectJ and AspectWerkz, the two leading AOP implementations, have merged, bringing in their respective strengths. The merged version, AspectJ 5, adds many new features aimed at simplifying writing and deploying aspects. The new features include an annotation-based and XML-based syntax to define aspects, support for new Java 5 concepts, and load-time weaving. The tools support for AOP continues to improve, as well. Further, the most popular IOC framework, Spring, enables integrating aspects written in AspectJ. There is also serious discussion and preliminary work going on to support AOP right into the VM itself. All in all, there is a lot to learn about the changes in the exciting field of AOP. This session is designed to help you get up to date with all these changes.

Introduction to Tapestry 4

An introduction to the Apache Tapestry web application framework, which will explain the concepts and features of the framework with some simple applications. We'll discsuss Tapestry forms, request cycle, component object model. The use of several important components, including BeanForm and Table will be highlighted, along with meta-programming using the Trails framework.

Pragmatic Unit Testing with TestNG and EasyMock

You've heard about unit testing but were daunted when it came time to put the pedal to the metal. That's because JUnit is just one tool and there's others you need to learn about, including the wonderful and wierd EasyMock and the easy and powerful TestNG.

Tapestry In Action (Part Two)

In Tapestry, components are not an add-on; in fact, anything but! Tapestry components are integral to the entire framework ? if something dynamic is going on in a page, there's a component involved.

WebWork 2.2 / Struts 2.0

In November 2005, WebWork and Struts developers announced a merger between the two framework to build Struts Action Framework 2.0. The resulting product will be built upon the foundation of WebWork 2.2 with a slew of new features, including a migration layer for Struts Classic. This session introduces the audience to this revolutionary framework and teaches some new concepts to those already using WebWork.

WebWork/Struts 2.0 & Spring

From it's early pre-release, WebWork 2 (the core of Struts 2.0) has included Inversion of Control. This implementation, based upon interfaces, served the WebWork community well due to its simplicity; however, it lacked a number of features. Beginning in version 2.2 and continuing with Struts 2.0, the internal IoC container has been deprecated and replaced with the more powerful Spring IoC.

Pragmatic Tracer Bullets

Are your product designs hit or miss? Do you have trouble building a loosely coupled system? Is your code incestuous? Refactoring not an option with your code base? Tracer Bullets help keep your project out of the fire.

Tracer Bullet Development:

* helps you create great software
* lends itself to an iterative cycle
* can be used for demos early and often
* is easily refactored
* allows your teams to work in parallel
* makes a very testable system

Software Development Techniques

Throughout our software careers we learn habits from our coworkers, from books we've read, and occasionally, from conferences we attend. Much of our competence comes from the tips and tricks we pick up as we go.

Software Tools That Make Life Easier: Part One

a.. Do you spend more time fighting your tools than writing code? b.. Do you avoid merging your code with your teammates because of “Integration Hell”? c.. Do the same bugs keep sneaking back into your product? d.. Do your builds depend on the roll of the dice?

A good set of infrastructure tools can go a long way toward smoothing out these and other problems. Come see how to make your toolset work seamlessly in the background so you can Just Work. We'll cover source code management (SCM), build scripts, automated test harnesses, automatic builds, feature tracking and issue tracking.

Software Tools That Make Life Easier: Part Two

This talk is a continuation of Part One of the Tools talk. During Part Two we'll cover Continuous Integration, automated testing, bug tracking, and feature tracking.

Good, Bad and Ugly of Java Generics

Java introduced Generics in the 1.5 version (Java 5). What are the capabilities of Generics? How do you use it? Are there some gotchas in using it? In this example driven presentation, we will start at the basics of generics and look at its capabilities. We will then look at some of the under the hood details on generics implementation. We will then delve into the details of some of the changes to Java libraries to accommodate generics. Finally we will take a look at some restrictions and pitfalls that we need to be familiar with when it comes to practical and prudent use of generics.

Groovy for Java Programmers

Object-oriented scripting languages, or agile dynamic languages, as some like to call those, are gaining programmers' attention. Groovy bring this excitement to the Java platform with its ability to generate byte code. You can use Groovy instead of Java for some parts of your application. By learning it, you can switch between the languages where you consider fit.

Open Source Tools for Agile Development

As a Java developer, you have taken the time to learn the basics of the language and relevant parts of its rich API. However, you need more than that to develop serious industrial strength applications. In this presentation, the speaker will introduce you to a number of open source tools which you can use to improve your application quality and your development process.

Practices of an Agile Developer

You have worked on software projects with varying degree of success. What were the reasons for the success of your last project? What were the reasons for those that failed? A number of issues contribute to project success - some non-technical in nature. In this presentation the speaker will share with you practices in a number of areas including coding, developer attitude, debugging, and feedback. The discussions are based on the book with the same title as the talk.

Refactoring your code - a key step in agility

Refactoring is one of the core practices in Agile Software Development. Refactoring is based on some core principles that apply to more than writing good code. But, what's refactoring? Why should you do it? How do you go about doing that? What tools are available to successfully refactor your App?

Working with Rules Engines

Rule based programming allows us to develop applications using declarative rules. These can simplify development in applications where such rules based knowledge is used for decision making.

Introduction to Hibernate

O/RM (Object/Relational Mapping) seeks to eliminate repetitive or tedious work enabling the CRUD (create, read, update, delete) that underlies most applications. Hibernate is a popular, open-source O/RM tool that uses reflection (instead of code generation, like EJB, or bytecode injection, like JDO) to manage your persistence layer.

Politics of Persistence

This session will help a Java developer choose a persistence framework. After the session, you will • Understand the core strengths and weaknesses of the main persistence frameworks in the Java space • Understand where marketing influences can impact persistence • Know what’s going on behind the scenes to impact the persistence pictures • Answer questions about persistence frameworks that might not be mainstream

Three Technologies to Watch

The state of the art is progressing rapidly, and dynamic languages are driving the revolution. Find out about these topics that will be central to programming. We'll discuss continuation servers, metaprogramming frameworks and functional langauges.

What's New in Spring 2

In this session, we'll review the new features of Spring 2.0. If you've been using Spring 1.x, you'll want to hear about the improvements.

Where Agile meets Argyle: New processes in established companies

Agile programming is a collection of core principles and techniques that allow software developers to create lighter, more responsive applications, and to have fun doing it. Many established organizations are either openly or sub-conciously hostile to many of the principles of Agile development.

Herding Racehorses and Racing Sheep

Are you frustrated by experts who can't tell you what to do, or by junior team members who refuse to see the big picture? How can you best develop careers: both yours and those of your teammates and managers? How can we learn to apply experience more effectively, and why do the many approaches designed to tame complexity actually end up increasing it?

Ruby for Java Programmers

Ruby recently enjoyed its tenth birthday. Instead of cake and candles, the community celebrated by releasing a wave of new libraries and frameworks that make Ruby programming even easier. This talk features some of the best of these, as we explore Ruby.

Ruby on Rails

The Ruby on Rails framework has exploded onto the scene over the last few months. Propelled by some genuine benefits, and fueled by a whole lot of controversy, Rails seems here to stay. So, is it a Java killer? (No.) Is it a great way to develop certain classes of web application? (Yes.) Does it really deliver the 10-fold increase in developer productivity that some have claimed? (It depends...)

Using Ajax with Ruby on Rails

Ajax is becoming a requirement for new applications: it creates richer user experiences and more dynamic applications. However, doing Ajax by hand is difficult and error prone. The good news is that if you use Rails, you don't have to do Ajax the hard way.