GOTO - The Brightest Minds in Tech Optimizing Cloud Native Java • Ben Evans & Holly Cummins
Aug 8, 2025
Ben Evans, a Senior Principal Software Engineer at Red Hat and co-author of "Optimizing Cloud Native Java," chats with Holly Cummins, also from Red Hat's Quarkus Team. They delve into performance engineering's blend of technical and psychological aspects, focusing on user expectations. The duo discusses how modern Java adapts to cloud native environments with microservices and containerized setups. They also examine the complexities in Java 17 and the exciting introduction of virtual threads in Java 21, reshaping concurrency and performance optimization.
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Practical Audience For The Book
- Ben Evans targets intermediate-to-advanced Java developers rather than beginners.
- The book acts as a launchpad with practical paths and references for deeper learning.
Turn Complaints Into Measurable Targets
- Ask users what they mean by "slow" and measure the right percentile like the 90th.
- Set modest, achievable targets and deliver incremental, visible performance wins.
Don't Trust Microbenchmarks Alone
- Ben Evans warns that microbenchmarks often mislead because runtimes and systems behave emergently.
- He recommends benchmarking entire systems that reflect real user experience instead.
