JavaLand Top-Speaker Check: Ed Burns

What are you speaking about at JavaLand and why did you choose this particular topic for your presentation? 

This year I have many roles at JavaLand: speaker, training partner, and exhibitor. 

For the speaker role, I have two lectures scheduled, “A survey of cloud readiness for Jakarta EE 11” and “How to get trustworthy AI in your favorite IDE”. The former will teach what’s new in Jakarta EE 11 and why it’s interesting to Java developers. I’ll give an overview of how to run Jakarta EE 11 on Azure, Google, and AWS. And I’ll close with a deep dive in how to run Jakarta EE 11 on Azure Container Apps. The latter talk is much more cutting edge: I get to talk about Microsoft’s latest ways to get AI into developer’s hands in their favorite IDEs: IntelliJ IDEA, Eclipse, and Visual Studio Code.

For the training partner role, my full day class is “Java with Al on Azure Container Apps and Kubernetes”. This workshop will teach users how to run java in a variety of Azure deployment environments, and how to use AI in the business domain of the app. 

For the exhibitor role, I’m organizing the Microsoft stand. Visit our stand to learn how Microsoft provides developers with a platform to quickly and securely build or modernize AI-powered Java applications. By creating smart applications with world-class security standards, AI-enabled databases, and AI capabilities, decision-makers can speed up their work and achieve better business results, and developers can improve their efficiency and stay competitive in the AI market using Microsoft's advanced AI tools, delivering new business value and keeping up with market changes. 

I wrote up a list of sessions I’d like to attend on my blog at Ed's JavaLand 2025 Session Picks.
 

Why are you passionate about this?

JavaLand gives me a chance to showcase all the amazing things our team at Microsoft is doing to make Java great on Azure.
 

What will attendees of your lecture be able to take away/learn?

I hope attendees come away from my lectures with practical tips relevant to the topic at hand, and knowledge for how to go further on their own.
 

What developments or trends are you currently following in the Java world?

One of my roles at Microsoft is to be the release co-coordinator for Jakarta EE. In this role, I get to shape the future of Java. In some sense, this is setting trends, not following trends. But on the other hand, standards are not for innovation. So, in that sense, yes, I am following. In EE 12, we’re following the trends towards easy configuration and better platform cohesiveness. Another role is to ensure Jakarta EE applications can use today’s popular AI framework, LangChain4j. In this role I am participating in the MicroProfile AI effort.
 

Where do you live and how are you traveling to JavaLand? How long will your trip take?

I am traveling to JavaLand from USA Orlando. It’s about an eight hour flight, and of course I use the JavaLand shuttle. This year, I’m tacking on a seven city tour of Java User Groups in Austria and Germany, check out my tour on my blog at Ed's JUG tour around JavaLand 2025. While on the tour, I hope to see some Brutalist architecture. I’ll use https://www.sosbrutalism.org/ as my guide.

How do you pass the time on the journey? Do you have any book or podcast recommendations?

Every year I say I’ll have my content fully prepared before boarding the plane. Every year, I end up making last minute changes. If I can manage it this year, I’ll bring along my Kindle and read “All Systems Red” by Martha Wells.
 

What are you most looking forward to at this JavaLand and what value do you hope to gain from the event?

I am most looking forward to connecting with old friends and learning new things. The value I hope to gain is to continue to make my skills relevant so I can continue my career and support my family.