Atomikos founder Guy Pardon on distributed transactions, data integrity, and more

Hi, Spring fans! Tired of worrying whether your data is actually correct? In this episode, we dive into the world of distributed transactions with Guy Pardon, founder of Atomikos, and unpack the technology that keeps mission-critical systems consistent when one database, one message broker, or one service call just isn’t enough. If you’ve ever wondered how banks move money safely, how insurance systems protect claim data, or how modern Spring apps can get enterprise-grade transaction guarantees without an application server, this conversation is for you. We explore why XA still matters, how two-phase commit really works, when you should use distributed transactions, and why compensating logic and “eventually consistent” workarounds aren’t always enough. We also talk about Atomikos itself: the open source core, the premium observability and support features, cloud-friendly log storage, Spring Boot integration, and how it helps teams build reliable systems that just work. If you care about data integrity, resilience, and making sure “committed” really means committed, don’t miss this one.

Hi, Spring fans! In this nostalgic, wide-ranging conversation, I revisit my first podcast episode from 2018 with Cornelia Davis and catch up on her career across Pivotal, VMware, Weaveworks, Amazon, Kubernetes, and now Temporal. I reflect on the enduring relevance of cloud-native patterns, workflow engines, and the evolution of software delivery from infrastructure-centric systems to durable execution. Cornelia explains Temporal in depth: an open-source platform for long-running, stateful, asynchronous workflows that preserves execution history so processes can resume exactly where they left off, even after failures or long waits. We cover human-in-the-loop workflows, event sourcing, multi-language SDKs, open source versus cloud, and why Temporal is especially well suited for modern AI and agentic applications. She also highlights the Temporal Agent Harness, strong typing, policy-based approvals, and use cases ranging from enterprise processes to OpenAI-scale agent infrastructure. I close the episode with practical pointers for learning more through Temporal’s website, blog, community resources, and GitHub, plus Cornelia’s preferred online presence on LinkedIn. #temporal #ai #workflows #engineering #pivotal #agents #harnesses #durableexecution

Hi, Spring fans! In this conversation, Josh Long explores how JOOQ turns SQL into a type-safe, fluent Java language—making complex database work safer, cleaner, and far more expressive. They cover everything from dynamic SQL transformation and cross-dialect support to low-level security, stored procedures, views, and the realities of working with modern databases like DuckDB, ClickHouse, Redshift, and more. Along the way, Lucas reflects on the origins of JOOQ, why he built it, and how the project has evolved from a clever Java DSL into a serious platform for enterprise-grade database development. The discussion also touches on AI-assisted debugging, the enduring relevance of SQL, and how strong typing can dramatically reduce mental overhead for developers and DBAs alike. If you care about databases, Java, or writing better software with less friction, this episode is a masterclass in thoughtful engineering and pragmatic elegance.

Hi, Spring fans! In this episode, Josh sits down with longtime friend and JetBrains developer Anton Arkhipov for a fascinating look at how AI is reshaping the way software gets built. From the halls of Devoxx to the future of IntelliJ IDEA, the conversation explores how AI has moved from being a novelty to becoming a core part of modern development workflows. Anton shares how JetBrains is experimenting with a new “agent-first” way of working, where chat becomes the central interface and AI agents can help plan features, generate code, run tests, and even debug problems. They dive into JetBrains AIR, the company’s experimental environment for orchestrating multiple agents, and discuss how it blends with the familiar IntelliJ experience rather than replacing it. The discussion gets especially exciting when Anton demonstrates how specs, rules, and reusable skills can guide agents to build software more consistently. He also shows how IntelliJ’s MCP and ACP integrations can give AI agents access to powerful IDE tools, including refactoring and debugging capabilities. One standout moment is a live example where an agent diagnoses a failing test, uses lock points and debugger support, finds the root cause, and fixes the issue automatically. If you’re curious about where AI-assisted development is heading—and how much of the coding, testing, and debugging loop can now be shared with intelligent tools—this episode offers a compelling glimpse into the near future of software engineering.

Hi, Spring fans! What happens when a longtime Kotlin and JVM fan - my friend Andrew Lombardi - decides to take on the latest “rewrite everything in Rust” hype with AI in the driver’s seat? In this episode, Josh sits down with community legend Andrew Lombardi for a fast, funny, and deeply technical conversation about his wild experiment: porting a real application to Kotlin to see how it stacks up against the much-hyped Rust rewrite. Andrew breaks down what sparked the project, why the original benchmark caused such a stir, and how AI made what would once have been an unthinkable rewrite suddenly feel like a practical weekend challenge. Along the way, he digs into token costs, benchmarking pitfalls, caching surprises, framework parity, JVM performance, memory tradeoffs, and why Kotlin’s readability and type system make it a compelling choice for large systems. If you care about performance, architecture, AI-assisted development, or just want to hear two seasoned developers gleefully dissect a spicy tech controversy, this one is absolutely worth a listen.

Hi, Spring fans! In this episode, we catch up with one of the most influential engineers in modern Java history - Kohsuke Kawaguchi - for a wide-ranging conversation that’s equal parts tech retrospective, career reflection, and future-gazing. It all starts with a chance reunion at a Java documentary screening in the Bay Area, where familiar faces from Sun and Oracle, old friends, and long-time admirers gathered to celebrate the ecosystem that shaped a generation. From there, the conversation opens up into a fascinating tour through the history of Java, XML, and the tools that quietly powered the industry. Our guest looks back on his work at Sun, where he helped build XML and web services infrastructure in the JDK, and on the hobby projects that became beloved utilities for developers everywhere. We hear the origin stories behind Com4J, his XML schema validator, and his daemonization tool, along with the ideas that made them so useful in the first place: making Java more practical on the desktop, in Windows environments, and in the messy real world of software integration. Of course, no conversation with him would be complete without talking about Jenkins. He shares the story of how a personal frustration with broken builds led to Hudson, then Jenkins, and eventually to one of the most important CI platforms ever created. We dig into why it took off, what problem it solved, and how its plugin-based architecture reflected a broader philosophy of openness and modularity. Then the conversation turns to the present and future. He explains Launchable, the company he started to make test execution and CI workflows dramatically more efficient, and how that work eventually found its way back into CloudBees. From there, we shift gears entirely into his current chapter: time away from full-time leadership, long-distance cycling adventures across France and Italy, cooking, travel, and the kind of creative freedom that comes from stepping back. And yes, we go deep on AI. What does someone who has spent decades building developer infrastructure think about coding agents, open models, and the future of software? His take is thoughtful, practical, and unmistakably informed by years of shipping real tools: AI is changing software development fast, but the winning systems may be the ones that integrate intelligence into existing workflows rather than forcing everyone into one giant chat interface. If you care about Java history, CI/CD, open source culture, developer tools, or just hearing a brilliant engineer think out loud about where technology is headed next, this is an episode you won’t want to miss.

Hi, Spring fans! What if the JVM could feel as frictionless as the modern dev tools people rave about on other platforms? In this wide-ranging, high-energy conversation, you’ll hear two longtime friends (Andres Almiray is a fellow Java champion and a legend) geek out over the future of desktop Java, the pain of Electron, the elegance of JavaFX, and the tools making it all easier to ship. The discussion dives into a brand-new favorite workflow for managing environments and dependencies, then pivots into the powerhouse that is JReleaser — the tool that helps Java projects publish releases, package native installers, generate distribution bundles, compute signatures and checksums, post announcements to social platforms, and even automate releases across GitHub, GitLab, Maven Central, and more. Along the way, they explore how JReleaser powers everything from desktop apps to command-line tools, how it fits with JLink and JPackage, why it’s become essential for projects like JBang and more, and how it’s helping make Java distribution feel modern again. If you care about shipping software cleanly, packaging it beautifully, or just want to hear passionate builders talk about making developer life better, this one is packed with insight, nostalgia, and a lot of “wait, it does that too?” moments.

Hi, Spring fans! In this episode, I sit down with Michael Carducci - software architect, magician, and knowledge graph expert—for a high-energy conversation about the future of AI. Michael breaks down why semantic data and auditable, deterministic reasoning are becoming essential for building trustworthy AI systems that actually work in production. If you’re curious about what’s next beyond bigger models and more tokens, this one is packed with big ideas, sharp insights, and a few surprises along the way. #ai #magic #knowledge #graph

Hi, Spring fans! In this conversation, Spring Tools lead Martin Lippert joins us for a fascinating look at how developer tooling has evolved from Eclipse to VS Code and beyond. We dig into the architecture behind Spring Tools, language servers, MCP, and how the same ideas that once helped developers stay in flow are now helping AI coding agents understand Spring projects better. If you care about the future of Java, IDEs, and AI-assisted development, this one’s packed with insight.

Hi, Spring fans! This week’s interview is a must-watch if you care about where Java is headed next. This week, I talk to Netflix's Paull Bakker! We dig into Netflix’s real-world playbook for scaling Java, cutting costs with newer JDKs, and replacing reactive complexity with virtual threads and structured concurrency. Plus, there’s a sneak peek at the exciting future of Java, from AI-powered tooling to the upcoming Valhalla era.