First to start off they are both great languages to use. Java has been the go to language for developing back-end systems since its inception 20 years ago. However, there have been a lot has changes with the Java ecosystem in the past few years.
\nOracle has began to build a wall around Java with their shorter LTS windows and new languages have challenged Java's rule. Google's decision to make Kotlin a first-class language has accelerated its adoption. Kotlin has done right by being a less-verbose, safer Java, which is more new-user friendly than Scala's attempt to avoid any relation to Java. Kotlin code is far more concise than comparable Java code.
\nPersonally I believe there is a place for both languages. Java will continue to be a major player in the software industry for decades to come, but that might not be the case forever, as Kotlin continues to grow. It will be a while before Kotlin adoption gets close to the behemoth that is Java.
\nDo you program in Kotlin or Java? Let me know your opinion!
"},{"url":"/learning-react/","relativePath":"learning-react.md","relativeDir":"","base":"learning-react.md","name":"learning-react","frontmatter":{"title":"Learning React","date":"August 19, 2020 11:04 AM","content_img_path":"/images/react-js-black-logo.png","home_spotlights":{"enabled":true,"excerpt":"My newest technology to tackle has been the web framework React.","home_img":{"data_position":"center center","path":"/images/react-js-black-logo.png","url":"#"},"weight":1},"template":"page"},"html":"My desire to learn React has been because, after spending a lot of time becoming proficient at making back-end services with the Spring Framework, I felt that is was only natural for me to learn how to be a front-end developer. I want to be able to make all parts of a modern web app myself. Previously I felt intimidated by JavaScript. It's support for functional programming and everything being asynchronous was very challenging for me with my object oriented and synchronous Java experience. As I've become a more senior engineer, I decided to revisit JavaScript through React.
\nThe reason I chose React over other view frameworks is simple. React is very popular in the web development community. There are a lot of alternatives but none of them are as popular in industry settings as React. I started my React journey learning how to make components, both class and functional, manage state, and use props and hooks.
\nIt's been fun and a lot less challenging than it was during the other times I tried to learn.
\nShare with me your React and JavaScript experiences!
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"},{"url":"/stackbit-website/","relativePath":"stackbit-website.md","relativeDir":"","base":"stackbit-website.md","name":"stackbit-website","frontmatter":{"title":"Making a Website with Stackbit","date":"August 19, 2020 11:05 AM","content_img_path":"/images/stackbit-logo-navy.jpg","home_spotlights":{"enabled":true,"excerpt":"I was up and running with a modern JAMstack website in minutes.","home_img":{"data_position":"top center","path":"/images/stackbit-logo.jpg","url":"#"},"weight":2},"template":"page"},"html":"I had no idea I wanted to re-write my personal website. I was in the process of learning React and had recently joined the Dev.to community and saw someone mention Stackbit. I personally had been wanting a more aesthetically pleasing website than the one I had made in college, but I was intimidated by all the options and didn't want to use anything more advance than plain ol' HTML and CSS because I didn't know any front-end languages and frameworks. Additionally, I was interested in having a personal blog as a way to share my challenges, and I had previously looked at Jekyll, Ghost and WordPress but never took the jump.
\nI planned on spending some after work free time learning Redux, but the good things people had to say about Stackbit had me intrigued. While I was browsing the themes, I decided to created an account. There was a good variety of the options you could choose for setting up your website. I decided to go with Gatsby the React Static Site Generator (SSG) and Netlify CMS for the Content Management System. The configuration I went with was pure chance. I chose Gatsby because, like I mentioned, I'm currently learning React and I thought it would be a good way to broaden my knowledge of the ecosystem, and I assumed that since the website was begin hosted by Netlify then it would have good support for Netlify CMS.
\nOnce I connected my GitHub account it generated the site in seconds. I instantly updated the content and made the site my own. I'm not sure if Gatsby was the right choice regarding simplicity, but I have been able to move components around and add where I want to. I have a couple of improvements I'd like to make so I'm sure I'll get the hang of it.
\nOverall I'm pretty statisfied with Stackbit. It allowed me to create a website with great speed and flexibility.
\nIf you have any questions regarding making a website with Stackbit or anything else please reach out!
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