NFJS: The Hammer

[The continuing story of my first No Fluff Just Stuff experience]

My first session at "NFJS" was Annotation Hammer presented by Venkat Subramaniam. Venkat used an interesting analogy to start the session.

In pre-Java 5 (pJ5) code, how did we specify that a class could be serialized? We used one of the tools in our toolbox at the time – the inheritance hammer. Specifically, we implemented the serializable interface. Or did we? How do you implement an interface when there are no methods to implement? We had a hammer (inheritance) and the problem (serialization) became a nail.

The problem was that we had no way to "convey consent" before Java 5. Now, with annotations, we can address this problem more intuitively.

The analogy of a hammer really drove home the point (no pun intended) about forcing a solution using existing structures. Another example of this point was given when we talked about how deprecation was handled in the pJ5 code. Remember the special Javadoc comment? This is obviously bad because hadn't we always been taught that compilers should ignore comments. Again, the annotation solution is much more intuitive.

I wont go into the details of the material because it was basically an introduction to annotations. It was, however, enjoyable for someone like myself who has had limited actual experience using annotations. I also liked seeing how this feature is being used to make the programmer's life easier in many realms of Java development. From EJBs to web services to unit tests, annotations are becoming a valuable tool (pun intended).

One note about the instructor. Venkat is very knowledgeable on this and many subjects. I had three sessions with him on three completely different topics, and all were enjoyable (but not all valuable). He was very energetic even later on in the weekend when I was tired just sitting and listening. He seems to have boundless energy and an iron larynx.

Next up: Groovy and Java