airhacks.fm podcast with adam bien

An airhacks.fm conversation with Volker Simonis (@volker_simonis) about: discussion about carnivorous plants, explanation of how different carnivorous plants capture prey through movement, glue, or digestive fluids, Utricularia uses vacuum to catch prey underwater, SAP's interest in developing their own JVM around Java 1.4/1.5 era, challenges with SAP's NetWeaver Java EE stack, difficulties maintaining Java across multiple Unix platforms (HP-UX, AIX, S390, Solaris) with different vendor JVMs, SAP's decision to license Sun's HotSpot source code, porting Hotspot to PA-RISC architecture on HP-UX, explanation of C++ interpreter versus Template interpreter in Hotspot, challenges with platform-specific C++ compilers and assembler code, detailed explanation of JVM internals including deoptimization, inlining, and safe points, SAP's contributions to openJDK including PowerPC port, challenges getting SAP to embrace open source, delays caused by Oracle's acquisition of Sun, SAP's extensive JVM porting work across multiple platforms, development of SAP JVM with additional features like profiling safe points, creation of SAP Machine as an open-source OpenJDK distribution, explanation of Java certification and trademark restrictions, Hotspot Express model allowing newer VM components in older Java versions, Volker's move to Amazon Corretto team after 15 years at SAP, brief discussion of ABAP versus Java at SAP, Volker's recent interest in GraalVM and native image technologies Volker Simonis on twitter: @volker_simonis

An airhacks.fm conversation with Richard Bair (@RichardBair) about: discussion about Hedera public ledger and its underlying technology, explanation of Hashgraph algorithm for consensus and transaction ordering, comparison to other blockchain technologies like Bitcoin and ethereum, Hedera's democratic approach to block production versus leader-based systems, the Linux Foundation project called Hiero where Hedera's code is being moved, explanation of how nodes gossip transactions and come to consensus, the role of the Hedera Governing Council including companies like Dell and IBM, discussion of HBAR as the native token and fee system, comparison of Hedera's fixed dollar-denominated fees versus fluctuating fees in other blockchains, explanation of staking mechanism and how it creates a representative democracy for node selection, technical details about Hedera's Java implementation using Java 21 and modern language features, use of ZGC garbage collector with 200GB heap on consensus nodes, deployment on Linux using docker, discussion of Java modules and challenges with libraries like Netty, custom Protobuf to Java compiler called PBJ for performance optimization, consideration of replacing Netty with Helidon for better virtual thread support, discussion of supply chain security concerns and minimizing dependencies, custom logging implementation to avoid bloated frameworks like Log4j, importance of deterministic code execution across all nodes, challenges of distributed systems where iteration order must be consistent, explanation of node synchronization mechanisms when nodes fall behind, comparison to serverless cloud pricing models, discussion of vertical versus horizontal scaling in blockchain systems Richard Bair on twitter: @RichardBair

An airhacks.fm conversation with Francesco Nigro (@forked_franz) about: discussion about the importance of stress testing over System Tests and unit tests, Coordinated Omission Problem in load generators where they don't accurately measure server performance during slowdowns, introduction to HyperFoil as a high-performance load generator capable of generating millions of requests per second with just two cores, explanation of how HyperFoil avoids GC overhead by pre-allocating resources, the architecture of HyperFoil using Netty event loops and a graph-based execution model, comparison with other load testing tools like JMeter, K6, Apache Benchmark and Vegeta, introduction to QDUP as a shell automation tool for distributed testing, overview of Horreum for performance test results storage and analysis, explanation of how these tools work together in Red Hat's performance testing pipeline, discussion of JCTools and its importance for GC-free concurrent data structures, the Universal Scalability Law and its application to load balancing algorithms, the pick-two-random algorithm for efficient resource allocation, the benefits of using JBang for easy one-line execution of HyperFoil, potential drawbacks of HyperFoil including ergonomics and JIT compilation warm-up issues, the possibility of using GraalVM native image to avoid JIT compilation delays Francesco Nigro on twitter: @forked_franz

Burr Sutter, a Red Hat expert on large language model integration, shares his knowledge on marrying Java with AI. He discusses the hurdles of non-deterministic outputs in enterprise applications and emphasizes the need for specialized models. The conversation dives into using LLMs for managing unstructured data, generating code from business requirements, and ensuring effective user interactions. Burr also speculates on the future of AI models and the importance of balancing custom solutions with off-the-shelf options.

In this engaging conversation, Volker Simonis, an experienced software engineer, shares his journey from early computing with the Schneider CPC to his passion for Java. He reflects on programming in languages like Basic and Turbo Pascal, and his fascination with L-systems and biology. Volker discusses the challenges of early operating systems, configuring Linux, and his work creating software for internationalizing Java applications. A delightful blend of nostalgia, technical insight, and a love for both programming and nature shines through.

Alvaro Hernandez, a software engineer known for his expertise in PostgreSQL and Kubernetes, shares insights on Stackgres, a comprehensive database cloud solution. He elaborates on leveraging Kubernetes for high availability, featuring primary and replica nodes managed by Patroni. The conversation touches on the power of Custom Resource Definitions to automate operations, seamlessly integrating PostgreSQL with Kubernetes. Alvaro also discusses failover mechanisms, containerization benefits, and the challenges of multi-leader setups, all while advocating for community-driven best practices.

In this episode, Kevlin Henney, an independent consultant and programming expert, shares his journey from playing with a Sinclair ZX81 to exploring advanced programming paradigms. He discusses his early days creating simulations and his academic dive into parallel computing. Henney reflects on his fascination with object-oriented programming through the lens of Java's evolution, highlighting its platform independence and unique features like inner classes. His insights also cover the influence of Communicating Sequential Processes on modern programming and the importance of bridging different coding paradigms.

Francesco Nigro, a Netty committer and performance engineer at Red Hat, dives deep into Java scalability and performance. He discusses the history of Netty and how Vert.x enhances usability through reactive design. Key topics include IO_uring's impact on asynchronous I/O, the limitations of Project Loom, and a major scalability issue affecting Hibernate that led to a significant performance boost after a collaborative fix. Francesco also sheds light on the performance challenges in containerized environments and the role of modern CPUs in efficiency.

Burr Sutter, a software engineer at Red Hat, shares his journey from a theater enthusiast to a programming expert, inspired by his family's Kona coffee farm. He dives into Java's evolution, contrasting it with C# while highlighting the impact of Docker and Kubernetes. Burr discusses Quarkus' fast startup capabilities, its compatibility with legacy apps, and Java's enduring appeal, showcasing its 'write once, run anywhere' principle. He also explores his current interests in language models and GenAI, connecting technology and heritage in a memorable conversation.

Christian Humer, a seasoned software engineer and key contributor to GraalVM, shares his journey from graphic design to computer science. He reflects on early programming with DOS text adventures and the transition to Java applications. The discussion dives into GraalVM's dynamic language capabilities, the challenges of implementing partial evaluation in Truffle, and the evolution of JavaScript engines. Humer also highlights the significance of math in programming and explores polyglot programming, emphasizing the interoperability of libraries across languages.