For this episode, I had a really interesting chat with Richard Fichtner, the leader of JUG Oberpfalz. Some of you may recognise Richard from many Java industry events, as he’s a frequent conference speaker, but he’s also known as the face of the JCon Conference as one of the organisers of this very popular Java event.

Richard is a Java Champion with 20 years of experience in the software industry. He’s the CEO and Principal Software Architect at XDEV, he’s actively contributing to the open source community through projects like RapidClipse and advocating for best practices in Apache Maven.

My guests for this episode of the Payara Podcast JUG Spotlight series are the leaders of Chicago and Seattle Java User Groups – Mary Grygleski and Freddy Guime. 

During our chat, we discussed Mary’s and Freddy’s journey to becoming JUG leaders, we talked about the opportunities that come with being part of a local Java User Group, whether as organisers or members. We also explored the impact of AI on modern Java development, which unsurprisingly has sparked significant interest among both new and existing community members. However, it also presents a challenge—how to ensure the next generation of developers remains effective in a workplace where AI is increasingly integrated into development workflows.

The second episode of the new series of Payara Podcast dedicated to the Java community is here! This time, I had a great pleasure to talk to Simone and Roberto from Torino Java User Group.

Roberto, a seasoned developer with 20+ years in open source, has contributed to projects like Jetty, CometD, and JBoss. Simone, a Java Champion and Eclipse Jetty Project Leader, specializes in high-performance JVM tuning and server-side development. We discuss the evolution of Java communities, the challenges JUGs face, and how we can ensure they continue to thrive.

We are kicking off 2025 with the new series of Payara Podcast dedicated to the Java community, which means that over the next couple of episodes, I will be talking to quite a few Java User Group Leaders, representing JUGs all around the world.

For this January episode, I had a great pleasure to talk to Mike and Barry from Garden State Java User Group.

During our conversation, we explored the importance of Java User Groups and their role in maintaining, supporting and educating Java developers within their local communities. Mike and Barry shared what’s coming to Garden State JUG this year that they are excited about, and the challenges their user group is facing.

Payara Platform is built by Payara Services in collaboration with our open source, innovative community - and we need your help! Please take a moment to fill in our  survey and assist us in making the best Jakarta EE products we can - it will only take a few minutes. 

Virtual Payara Conference - find out more and register here - is a two-day, free event that brings together industry leaders, developers, and innovators to explore the latest advancements and strategic insights in the world of Java and Jakarta EE. Whether you’re a decision-maker shaping the future of your enterprise or a developer diving deep into new technologies, this event offers something for everyone.

Read on to find out more about the sessions and speakers.