Miroslav Wengner is the author of Practical Design Patterns for Java Developers; we got the chance to sit down and find out more about his experience of writing with Packt.
Q: What are your specialist tech areas?
Miroslav: Java Platform, Distributed System Architecture, Performance, Maintainability and Design
Q: How did you become an author for Packt? Tell us about your journey. What was your motivation for writing this book?
Miroslav: It all started one day at Sun Microsystems when I started contributing to various open-source projects. I shared knowledge on different channels over time, and I am now proud to have written the book that lets the community know about the latest Java improvements and how to use the basics in everyday life.
Q: What kind of research did you do, and how long did you spend researching before beginning the book?
Miroslav: I think research is part of my job and it all went into the book. The experiences I have gained are from different industries, not only by designing new systems but also by migrating old ones. The practice of continually contributing to the Java ecosystem at various levels to keep my Java knowledge fresh was very helpful to focus on the specific research for this book.
Q: Did you face any challenges during the writing process? How did you overcome them?
Miroslav: Of course, The biggest challenge was to create the outline. The outline helps the reader relate to the topic and I wanted to set it up in such a way that it is general enough to be applicable across industries. Therefore I chose the vehicle manufacture process as an abstraction. Design patterns topic is engaging and often essential for successful application development. I leave it up to the reader to judge how I did it.
Q: What’s your take on the technologies discussed in the book? Where do you see these technologies heading in the future?
Miroslav: The Java platform has been undergoing a renaissance in recent years. But still, the Java language remains the most efficient language on the Java Virtual Machine. Given the latest improvements to the Java platform, I predict continuing gains in market share due to the impact on efficiency and systems maintainability that it offers while keeping concurrency in mind. There are even upcoming other enhancements to keep engineers happy and tuned.
Q: Why should readers choose this book over others already on the market? How would you differentiate your book from its competition?
Miroslav: This book is unique as it provides a comprehensive view of design pattern concepts through related examples. The book is inspired by the famous Gang of Four work. It extends beyond their work and puts design patterns into a modern context. It guides the reader in understanding them in detail. The book also helps to realize the value of the design patterns and uncover the concurrency challenges. With a flow of examples, the book allows the developer to adapt them to everyday core challenges with, importantly: supported threads visualizations.
Q: What are the key takeaways you want readers to come away with from the book?
Miroslav: By the end of the book, the reader should not only be able to adopt new enhancements but also be fully aware of how the use of different design patterns helps him or her solve everyday challenges.
Q. What advice would you give to readers learning tech? Do you have any top tips?
Miroslav: A great tip is to be curious and discover through experimentation. The reader should try the code examples used in this book. The book includes references to JDK code where specific design patterns are used. It will boost the reader in further study.
Q. Do you have a blog that readers can follow?
Miroslav: I’d recommend to follow me on twitter, LinkedIn or track some of my articles at foojay.io.
Q: Can you share any blogs, websites, and forums to help readers gain a holistic view of the tech they are learning? What are the key takeaways you want readers to come away with from the book?
Miroslav: I would recommend following the articles published on foojay.io and openvalue.blog where I contribute. The book itself contains many useful references to many other resources.
Q. How would you describe your author’s journey with Packt? Would you recommend Packt to aspiring authors?
Miroslav: For sure! It was a positive experience with the Packt team. The whole team was extremely helpful and nice, I really enjoyed working on this book.
Q. Do you belong to any tech community groups?
Miroslav: Yes, I do. I am a Java Champion, OpenJDK committer and an Executive Member in the Java Community Process (JCP)
Q. What are your favorite tech journals? How do you keep yourself up to date on tech?
Miroslav: OpenJDK mailing list, Foojay.io, most of the well-known webs that are focused on technologies, not just Java.
Q. How did you organize, plan, and prioritize your work and write the book?
Miroslav: At first, I did a lot of thinking to create an outline that flows smoothly. Then I just tried to find time between all my responsibilities, and it worked. The motivation to give something back to the community is a powerful impulse.
Q. What is that one writing tip that you found most crucial and would like to share with aspiring authors?
Miroslav: Try to keep the flow consistent and clean. Ask for as much feedback as possible to help organize your ideas and keep your mind sharp.
Q. Would you like to share your social handles? If so, please share.
Miroslav: LinkedIn , twitter , GitHub
You can find Miroslav’s book on Amazon by following this link: Please click here
