I just upgraded a Java project from Java 8 to OpenJDK 11. The project is running on a Cloudfoundry, using the Java buildpack. After successful deployment with the new Java 11, the application won't start properly and threw the a java.lang.UnsupportedClassVersionError. The solution for this is to add the following variable in Cloudfoundry:

The other day, I wrote about "Candy Tasks". These small tasks that can be completed in a few minutes and without much effort. If finished, they provide a nice morale boost and a feeling of accomplishment. I argued that everybody has small gaps of time during even the busiest of days that can be filled with candy tasks.

Earlier, I decided to temporarily stop starting new projects to allocate resources to where I can make the greatest positive impact, and I reviewed my progress in this feat. This is another status report.

Earlier, I decided to temporarily stop starting new projects to allocate resources to where I can make the greatest positive impact. This is the promised status report on that enterprise. It contains strategies I developed and the progress I made.

The last months have been great in terms of good stuff happening both in my private and professional life. I’m very happy with the multiple projects I’m working on in the company and the additional handful of pet-projects I’m doing on the side. However, life was so generous to me lately, that one or two opportunities too many have presented themselves to me. I often joke that 24 hours in a day is not enough time to act on all the great ideas. Generally, that isn’t a problem because most ideas can be stored away and acted upon at a later time.

I spend quite some time implementing a login using Active Directory via LDAP for our Spring Boot 2 application, using Spring Security. This article outlines the implementation options I faced. On my quest to solve the many problems I encountered with this, I learned that there is not much documentation available in the web. I hope this article is of some help for other developers.

I will use the term "LDAP" when refering to the Active Directory because that's what most developers do when they mean "authorization using LDAP".

Somehow, I came across this great article about what to do to build a great work environment in an agile enterprise. In this short reflection, I want to highlight some of the (for me) most interesting thoughts.

Recently, I finished reading “Java by Comparison – Become a Java Craftsman in 70 Examples” by Simon Harrer, Jörg Lenhard and Linus Dietz. This article is a book review that highlights the contents of the book as well as some aspects that I found especially good.

From March  to June 2018 I have the great privilage to be the visiting professor for the course Software Engineering at the Ostfalia university in Wolfenbüttel, Germany, in representation of Prof. Dr. Bernd Müller. Most of the students study computer science and are in their 3rd term. This article explains what topics I teach and why.

The next issue of Java Aktuell (02/2018) will contain an article I wrote about Remote Working. This is one of my favourite topics since I began working with colleagues from Romania and I'm convinced that with the right methods and processes, remote work will enhance both work quality as well as the personal life. That's basically the core message of what I wrote in the magazine.