Foojay Podcast #71: Celebrating 30 Years of Java with James Gosling

We are celebrating Java’s 30th anniversary this May!

This is a very special anniversary episode of the Foojay Podcast! As we approach May 23rd, marking exactly 30 years since Java’s first beta release in 1995, we’re honored to present our first-ever single-guest podcast. But we have a very special guest for you: James Gosling, the creator of Java!

Join us for this exclusive conversation as we explore Java’s beginnings, its revolutionary impact on the programming world, its continuous evolution over three decades, and James’s insights on where the language is heading. From that groundbreaking beta release over “Write Once, Run Anywhere” to powering billions of devices worldwide, this is the story of Java, told by the man who started it all, the father of Java.

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Content

00:00 Introduction

01:06 How did it start 35 years ago?

06:21 Java evolved from device controllers to server applications

10:30 How does it feel that so many people use Java?

12:12 Looking back at the Y2K problem and how it triggered more Java adoption

14:58 Does James regret any decisions in Java?

18:44 Comparing early-day Java development versus now

20:55 About the stability of Java

24:14 JavaFX is one of James’ favorites of all time

25:20 Frustrations about Android and iOS versus Java Phones

28:16 How “Write Once, Run Anywhere” was needed for Sun

29:23 Windows versus macOS versus Linux for laptops

31:32 The very first Java web service in 1994 turned into a dark story

33:17 Java in Docker and startup challenges

36:59 Garbage Collectors are amazing in many ways

39:18 Java-haters didn’t use recent versions of Java …

41:51 How Java became much more performant but lost embedded

43:08 Developers must be aware of which and how many libraries they use

47:40 James loves Kotlin, Scala, and Closure

49:42 Ethical responsibility for developers in a challenging job market

54:16 AI influence on jobs

01:00:20 Advice for junior developers

01:02:27 A few of the most remarkable moments in Java history

01:07:52 Why James is not a benevolent dictator for life

01:09:17 How Java will keep evolving

01:12:55 How much is James still involved in Java?

01:13:54 Conclusion