Annyce Davis

ones and zeros

Talk: Getting a Grip on GraphQL

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GraphQL is a query language for your API. This allows you to interact with your existing web services and databases in a new way. Instead of relying on a predetermined output structure from your API, you can “query” it and choose only the fields that you’re interested in. In this talk, learn what GraphQL is all about and how you can take advantage of it in your applications.

A few key GraphQL terms we’ll cover are:

  • Fields/Types
  • Variables
  • Queries/Mutations

We’re going to explore how you can create a GraphQL Server with a stack written entirely in Kotlin. Then we’ll take a look at how you can integrate the Apollo Client library inside of a Kotlin-powered Android application. GraphQL isn’t going away, so here’s your chance to get a grip on this exciting technology!

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Talk: RxJava in Baby Steps

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Reactive Programming with RxJava has widely been adopted by both backend services and Android applications alike. Yet, the steep learning curve leaves many developers hesitant about adding it to their own Software tool belt. I was one such developer. Over the past two years, I’ve watched countless videos, read numerous blog posts and attended several conference talks on the subject. Yet, I often left each experience feeling only slightly more knowledgeable, but not quite empowered to start using RxJava in my apps. That’s not going to happen in this talk!

We cover the bare minimum concepts you need to grok, in order to start using RxJava today. In particular, we focus on:

  • The 3 O’s: Observable, Observer and Operator
  • The most common Operators: map(), flatMap(), and filter()
  • Understanding those Marble Diagrams

Reactive Programming is not going away any time soon. It’s a powerful way to create asynchronous, event-based applications. It allows developers the ability to craft applications that can easily combine multiple network calls, gracefully handle failures, all while providing a snappy user experience. I want everyone to feel comfortable with the basic concepts of RxJava. Today can be your first step…

 

Resources for Learning More:

DroidCon Boston 2017 Recap

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This was the first year for the DroidCon Boston Conference. I put together a few highlights of the event below:

Venue

It took place at the Calderwood Pavilion in Boston, MA. It was such a cool space. It’s typically used for theater performances, so the rooms were lush and vibrant in color. As a speaker you felt like a Shakespearean actor about to break into soliloquy. It was absolutely awesome! There was great music playing in the background and live entertainment as well. This conference hit all the high notes that one would expect from a first-class event.

 

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