Tech Events in Leeuwarden

Join us on Tuesday, May 12th for another engaging JUG Noord meetup in Leeuwarden, where Hinse will share how we can prevent nullpointers with JSpecify (included in the latest Spring!) and Paulien will explore how graph databases can help you model complex domains in Java.

📅 Date & Time:
Venue opens: 16:30
First talk starts: 17:00
Food & drinks: Provided between the sessions

📍 Location: ING Leeuwarden, Hazel: Reviusstraat 2, 8913 HT Leeuwarden

🚨 This is the new ING office, a 5 minute walk from the old one so keep that in mind while traveling. For those arriving by car: paid parking is available next door, or at Fonteinland or next to the WTC.🚨

🚨 Important: Signing up is mandatory for entry. If the name on your Meetup profile does not match your ID, please contact Johan (organizer) with your full name.

🇬🇧 Never a Null Moment with JSpecify by Hinse ter Schuur (SDB Java)
Since the beginning of Java we're used to dealing with NullPointerExceptions. We tried to prevent null references using project conventions and sprinkling (a lot of) annotations throughout our codebases. But even with all this tedious work we still run into "null moments", unexpected NullPointerExceptions showing up at runtime.

One of the reasons this problem has been hard to solve is that Java never had a standard well-defined way to express nullness. Different annotation libraries and tools exist, with slightly different semantics. As a result, annotations often act more as hints than as guarantees. JSpecify aims to change this. It's a collaborative effort by major Java ecosystem stakeholders to define clear, consistent nullness semantics.

With JSpecify, you can set default nullness per package via the @NullMarked annotation, making your intent explicit. Because of this precision, JSpecify offers a solid foundation to provide null-safety in your libraries and applications. You don’t need to annotate everything or rewrite existing code to get started. In this session you will learn what makes JSpecify different from other attempts. You'll also discover how you can start applying JSpecify incrementally in your own production code right away.

🇬🇧 Thinking in Relationships: Practical Graph Database Modelling in Java with Neo4J by Paulien van Alst (OpenValue)
As a Java developer, we are used to thinking about relational databases and occasionally about document stores. But when working with domain models where relationships are first-class citizens and data is highly connected, graph databases are very valuable to consider.

In this talk, we will explore how graph databases can help you model complex domains with highly connected entities more naturally. Examples of such domain models are criminal investigations, recommendation models, family trees, or HR models.

Neo4j is a graph database that integrates well in Spring boot applications. Based on my experiences with Neo4j in multiple projects, I’ll walk you through how to model a domain as a graph and introduce you to Neo4j and its query language Cypher. Also, I’ll introduce you to some common pitfalls to avoid when adopting graph databases and what consequences those pitfalls can have. Finally, I’ll show how a re-modelling of a graph saved us from stepping away from Neo4j and helped us understand our domain and its challenges even more. You will walk away with clear knowledge on how and when to start a project with graph databases.

About the speakers
Hinse is a Software Engineer at SDB Java. He has been a professional Java coder for over 20 years. He loves to share his experience by doing pair programming, reviews, writing articles and giving talks.

Paulien is a passionate software engineer in love with readable, reliable, and testable code, independent of the language or technology used. At OpenValue, she works on helping companies set up better software. Lately, she has been giving presentations and workshops about what she encounters during her day-to-day work. In her free time, she likes to sport and to cook, whenever she is not rebuilding her house and garden.

Let op: verplaatst naar 12 mei!

🙌 Op 21 april organiseren we weer een WordPress Meetup Fryslân! We hebben een inspirerende spreker voor je uitgenodigd en natuurlijk is er weer ruimte voor hands-on hulp en gezellig netwerken.

🎤 Gastspreker: Jan-Willem Oostendorp
Meer informatie over het onderwerp van de presentatie volgt binnenkort. Houd de Meetup pagina in de gaten voor updates!

🧩 Open vloer & live support
Loop je ergens tegenaan met je WordPress-site? Neem je laptop mee en krijg direct hulp van de community. Van plugin-problemen tot design-vragen: we helpen elkaar verder.

🗓 Programma
19.15 – Deur open
19.45 – Gastspreker
20.15 – Q&A
20.30 – Open vloer, live support
21.00 – Borrel & napraten

📍 Locatie
dFRSLND, Harlingertrekweg 55, Leeuwarden
Parkeren is gratis aan de straat (na 18:00).
OV: bushalte Leeuwarden, Roemer Visscherstraat of 15 minuten lopen vanaf het station.
Let op: de hoofdingang is 's avonds gesloten; gebruik de ingang aan de achterzijde.
De locatie is rolstoeltoegankelijk.
Ben jij er ook (weer) bij?

👉 Laat even weten dat je komt via de Meetup pagina. Aanmelden mag ook via organisatie@wpmeetup.frl. We kijken ernaar uit om je te zien en er samen een gezellige, leerzame avond van te maken!