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Bruno Souza: My Greatest Pride is the Community
Duke’s Corner Java Podcast: Bruno Souza: My Greatest Pride is the Community
Jim Grisanzio from Java Developer Relations talks with Bruno Souza, who is a Java Champion, leader of the SouJava User Group in Brazil, and a member of the JCP Executive Committee. Bruno received the first Java Community Lifetime Achievement recognition in October 2022 at JavaOne in Las Vegas. “I was totally surprised! I was jumping up and down! I was so honored! It’s an honor to be a member of that group.” he said.
Bruno Souza is known as the “JavaMan” from Brazil and that nickname started back at Sun when Java was announced and Bruno started evangelizing the technology. Bruno’s message to the community was “Open Standards and Open Source” as he began his community building efforts around Java. He continually brought to Brazil FOSS and Standards experts for community discussions, and he advocated for a standards-based Open Source implementation of Java that would pass the TCK.
“Maybe my greatest pride, I think, is the idea of the Java User Groups community,” Bruno says. “We have OpenJDK for development and the JCP for standards, but for me the real Java community is the Java User Groups! These are all volunteers who meet and help others participate and learn.”
Bruno in recent years has been talking a lot about building reputation and career by embracing the open-source lifestyle — writing code in Java, contributing to Open Source, and helping build the community itself. Since our work lives in public mailing lists and open-source code repositories, we earn credibility by being visible, contributing, engaging the community, and helping others get involve as well, Bruno says.
Bruno advises that career is a long-term project: “The more you work on it, the more you grow, the more results you have. So, the sooner you start the better. This is not a sprint! This takes time.”
Getting back to Java itself, Bruno, like most Java developers, prefers the 6-month release cadence over the older system of multi-year development and release cycles. There is a constant flow of technology now which allows for more interactions between the Oracle engineers and engineers in the community.
“Everything you see today in Java is possible because of the 6-month release process. I just loved it when the guys did that! I think it’s amazing! The fact that we now have two releases per year changed Java. I think we’re positioning Java to be even stronger in the years to come. I’m very excited about the whole thing,” Bruno says.
Throughout this conversation Bruno provides a wonderful history of Java since he’s been involved from the very beginning! “People don’t remember that Java was a community from the very beginning!” Bruno says. “We were able to look at the source code from the very beginning and that allowed us to build the community from the very beginning with lots of other companies joining.” And then the JCP was created to allow Sun and the community to discuss the standardization of Java. And then OpenJDK was a huge step because now Java would be everywhere with Oracle leading and building the community. “Java is more participative today under Oracle than during the Sun times.”
“Java + Open Source + Community: That’s what grows our career. That’s what grows Java too!”
Here are some links where the Bruno interview can be found in full or in clips: Apple | Bluesky | Bluesky | LinkedIn | LinkedIn | Libsyn | WordPress | WordPress | X | X | YouTube. Here are all the interviews on Duke’s Corner. Here is Bruno’s full interview transcript. Below see more quotes from the interview:
Surprise and Honor of the Lifetime Achievement AwardQuote: “I was totally surprised! And it was very cool because, you know, you’ve been to keynotes on big events, and lots of things are scripted, lots of things are rehearsed. And I think with that one, the way they did it, allowed it to be real.”Timestamp: 00:04:16–00:04:34Context: Bruno describes his genuine surprise and excitement upon receiving the first Java Community Lifetime Achievement honors at JavaOne 2022 in Las Vegas, highlighting the authenticity of the moment.
Advocating for Open Source and StandardsQuote: “Open Source plus Open Standards. That’s what we need, right? You know, we can’t really just do free software, right? It’s not only open source. This whole idea of having open source software that is not standard basis, then you only have one implementation.”Timestamp: 00:08:01–00:08:13Context: Bruno discusses his early efforts in Brazil to combine open source with open standards, emphasizing the need for a standards-based, open-source implementation of Java to ensure broader applicability and community involvement.
Java User Groups as the Real CommunityQuote: “But for me, the real Java community is the Java user groups! Because those are all volunteer-based leaders helping people to meet each other, to actually participate and discuss, and learn.”Timestamp: 00:12:47–00:12:55Context: Bruno underscores the significance of Java User Groups (JUGs) as the heart of the Java community, highlighting their role in fostering volunteer-driven collaboration, learning, and networking among developers locally and around the world.
Reputation as a Career CornerstoneQuote: “Reputation is more important than your salary, is more important than your job, is more important than your house, right? Because reputation is going to give you all of that!”Timestamp: 00:15:11–00:15:19Context: In his career session, Bruno emphasizes the critical role of reputation in professional growth, explaining that reputation underpins long-term success and opportunities more than immediate material gains. Remember, reputation is actually a dependency for success.
The Power of Java, Open Source, and CommunityQuote: “This merger of those three things — Java, Open Source, and Community — I think that’s what grows our career. That’s what grows Java too!”Timestamp: 00:36:51–00:36:57Context: Bruno summarizes his philosophy that combining expertise in technology like Java, contributions to open source, and active community participation drives both individual career growth and the advancement of Java as a platform.
Career as a MarathonQuote: “Career is this long term thing that, the more you do it, the more you grow, the more results you have.”Timestamp: 00:22:10–00:22:18Context: Bruno advises developers to view their careers as a long-term endeavor, not a short term sprint, stressing the importance of consistent effort in building reputation and skills over time, rather than seeking quick wins. Also, he stresses that if you find yourself unemployed, that’s not the time to start networking. You have to always be networking and always be building your career.
The Impact of Java’s Six-Month Release CadenceQuote: “Everything you have seen on Java today is possible because of the release cadence. I just love it when the guys did that.”Timestamp: 00:28:31–00:28:40Context: Bruno praises Java’s shift to a six-month release cycle, crediting it for enabling rapid innovation and fostering greater interaction between Oracle engineers and the broader Java development community.
Java’s Community RootsQuote: “People don’t remember that it was a community from the beginning. You know, the fact that it was not Open Source, it was not Free Software, it had very complex license, but it allowed us to build that community in the very, very beginning.”Timestamp: 00:30:29–00:30:46Context: Bruno reflects on Java’s early days, noting that despite its initial complex licensing, and not having a standard FOSS approved license of the time, the ability to access source code from the start under the Sun license fostered a strong community foundation that contributed to Java’s success today. Over time, however, Sun released OpenJDK under the GNU General Public License (GPL) in 2006.
Oracle’s Role in Java’s EvolutionQuote: “Oracle released more coding to OpenJDK, they built a community, they maintained the whole idea, they maintained Java, they maintained the specifications. Oracle did the best it could have done. I think that Java today is more participative in OpenJDK than it was during Sun’s time.”Timestamp: 00:33:51–00:33:57Context: Bruno discusses Oracle’s stewardship of Java after the acquisition, suggesting that Oracle’s less protective approach compared to Sun allowed for greater community participation, enhancing Java’s development through OpenJDK.
Encouraging Broader ParticipationQuote: “If you are the only person that does something and you want more people to come and help you in your user group, in your volunteer work, whatever it is that you’re doing, if you’re the only person that does everything and you want other people to participate, there’s just one way. You have to stop doing something!”Timestamp: 00:34:23–00:34:38Context: Bruno shares a philosophy on community leadership, explaining that stepping back from some responsibilities is essential to encourage others to contribute, thereby strengthening the community. Watch for this in communities. Leaders know how to do this to encourage more participation.
JavaOne’s Vibrant ReturnQuote: “JavaOne was awesome! I really enjoyed the talks. I really enjoyed the people that were there and had great conversations. There’s people that came to JavaOne for the first time and they’re like, oh man, it’s such an amazing event. So I’m glad we’re back!”Timestamp: 00:00:31–00:00:43Context: Bruno expresses his enthusiasm for the return of JavaOne 2025, highlighting the event’s energy, the quality of technical talks, and the community engagement. It was a significant moment for Java developers new to the community and also established developers.
A Gift for Career GrowthQuote: “I wrote 15 emails, one for each chapter of the book that gives you one main idea from each chapter. So if you download the book, I’m going to send you all of those 15 emails.”Timestamp: 00:38:36–00:38:47Context: Bruno offers a practical resource for developers, sharing that he and Heather Van Cura wrote a book on career growth, and he provides free access to the first chapter and a series of emails summarizing key ideas to help developers apply these principles. The book is called “Developer Career Masterplan: Build your path to senior level and beyond with practical insights from industry experts.”
Interview Archive
Get full access to Jim Grisanzio at jimgrisanzio.substack.com/subscribe
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By Jim GrisanzioDuke’s Corner Java Podcast: Bruno Souza: My Greatest Pride is the Community
Jim Grisanzio from Java Developer Relations talks with Bruno Souza, who is a Java Champion, leader of the SouJava User Group in Brazil, and a member of the JCP Executive Committee. Bruno received the first Java Community Lifetime Achievement recognition in October 2022 at JavaOne in Las Vegas. “I was totally surprised! I was jumping up and down! I was so honored! It’s an honor to be a member of that group.” he said.
Bruno Souza is known as the “JavaMan” from Brazil and that nickname started back at Sun when Java was announced and Bruno started evangelizing the technology. Bruno’s message to the community was “Open Standards and Open Source” as he began his community building efforts around Java. He continually brought to Brazil FOSS and Standards experts for community discussions, and he advocated for a standards-based Open Source implementation of Java that would pass the TCK.
“Maybe my greatest pride, I think, is the idea of the Java User Groups community,” Bruno says. “We have OpenJDK for development and the JCP for standards, but for me the real Java community is the Java User Groups! These are all volunteers who meet and help others participate and learn.”
Bruno in recent years has been talking a lot about building reputation and career by embracing the open-source lifestyle — writing code in Java, contributing to Open Source, and helping build the community itself. Since our work lives in public mailing lists and open-source code repositories, we earn credibility by being visible, contributing, engaging the community, and helping others get involve as well, Bruno says.
Bruno advises that career is a long-term project: “The more you work on it, the more you grow, the more results you have. So, the sooner you start the better. This is not a sprint! This takes time.”
Getting back to Java itself, Bruno, like most Java developers, prefers the 6-month release cadence over the older system of multi-year development and release cycles. There is a constant flow of technology now which allows for more interactions between the Oracle engineers and engineers in the community.
“Everything you see today in Java is possible because of the 6-month release process. I just loved it when the guys did that! I think it’s amazing! The fact that we now have two releases per year changed Java. I think we’re positioning Java to be even stronger in the years to come. I’m very excited about the whole thing,” Bruno says.
Throughout this conversation Bruno provides a wonderful history of Java since he’s been involved from the very beginning! “People don’t remember that Java was a community from the very beginning!” Bruno says. “We were able to look at the source code from the very beginning and that allowed us to build the community from the very beginning with lots of other companies joining.” And then the JCP was created to allow Sun and the community to discuss the standardization of Java. And then OpenJDK was a huge step because now Java would be everywhere with Oracle leading and building the community. “Java is more participative today under Oracle than during the Sun times.”
“Java + Open Source + Community: That’s what grows our career. That’s what grows Java too!”
Here are some links where the Bruno interview can be found in full or in clips: Apple | Bluesky | Bluesky | LinkedIn | LinkedIn | Libsyn | WordPress | WordPress | X | X | YouTube. Here are all the interviews on Duke’s Corner. Here is Bruno’s full interview transcript. Below see more quotes from the interview:
Surprise and Honor of the Lifetime Achievement AwardQuote: “I was totally surprised! And it was very cool because, you know, you’ve been to keynotes on big events, and lots of things are scripted, lots of things are rehearsed. And I think with that one, the way they did it, allowed it to be real.”Timestamp: 00:04:16–00:04:34Context: Bruno describes his genuine surprise and excitement upon receiving the first Java Community Lifetime Achievement honors at JavaOne 2022 in Las Vegas, highlighting the authenticity of the moment.
Advocating for Open Source and StandardsQuote: “Open Source plus Open Standards. That’s what we need, right? You know, we can’t really just do free software, right? It’s not only open source. This whole idea of having open source software that is not standard basis, then you only have one implementation.”Timestamp: 00:08:01–00:08:13Context: Bruno discusses his early efforts in Brazil to combine open source with open standards, emphasizing the need for a standards-based, open-source implementation of Java to ensure broader applicability and community involvement.
Java User Groups as the Real CommunityQuote: “But for me, the real Java community is the Java user groups! Because those are all volunteer-based leaders helping people to meet each other, to actually participate and discuss, and learn.”Timestamp: 00:12:47–00:12:55Context: Bruno underscores the significance of Java User Groups (JUGs) as the heart of the Java community, highlighting their role in fostering volunteer-driven collaboration, learning, and networking among developers locally and around the world.
Reputation as a Career CornerstoneQuote: “Reputation is more important than your salary, is more important than your job, is more important than your house, right? Because reputation is going to give you all of that!”Timestamp: 00:15:11–00:15:19Context: In his career session, Bruno emphasizes the critical role of reputation in professional growth, explaining that reputation underpins long-term success and opportunities more than immediate material gains. Remember, reputation is actually a dependency for success.
The Power of Java, Open Source, and CommunityQuote: “This merger of those three things — Java, Open Source, and Community — I think that’s what grows our career. That’s what grows Java too!”Timestamp: 00:36:51–00:36:57Context: Bruno summarizes his philosophy that combining expertise in technology like Java, contributions to open source, and active community participation drives both individual career growth and the advancement of Java as a platform.
Career as a MarathonQuote: “Career is this long term thing that, the more you do it, the more you grow, the more results you have.”Timestamp: 00:22:10–00:22:18Context: Bruno advises developers to view their careers as a long-term endeavor, not a short term sprint, stressing the importance of consistent effort in building reputation and skills over time, rather than seeking quick wins. Also, he stresses that if you find yourself unemployed, that’s not the time to start networking. You have to always be networking and always be building your career.
The Impact of Java’s Six-Month Release CadenceQuote: “Everything you have seen on Java today is possible because of the release cadence. I just love it when the guys did that.”Timestamp: 00:28:31–00:28:40Context: Bruno praises Java’s shift to a six-month release cycle, crediting it for enabling rapid innovation and fostering greater interaction between Oracle engineers and the broader Java development community.
Java’s Community RootsQuote: “People don’t remember that it was a community from the beginning. You know, the fact that it was not Open Source, it was not Free Software, it had very complex license, but it allowed us to build that community in the very, very beginning.”Timestamp: 00:30:29–00:30:46Context: Bruno reflects on Java’s early days, noting that despite its initial complex licensing, and not having a standard FOSS approved license of the time, the ability to access source code from the start under the Sun license fostered a strong community foundation that contributed to Java’s success today. Over time, however, Sun released OpenJDK under the GNU General Public License (GPL) in 2006.
Oracle’s Role in Java’s EvolutionQuote: “Oracle released more coding to OpenJDK, they built a community, they maintained the whole idea, they maintained Java, they maintained the specifications. Oracle did the best it could have done. I think that Java today is more participative in OpenJDK than it was during Sun’s time.”Timestamp: 00:33:51–00:33:57Context: Bruno discusses Oracle’s stewardship of Java after the acquisition, suggesting that Oracle’s less protective approach compared to Sun allowed for greater community participation, enhancing Java’s development through OpenJDK.
Encouraging Broader ParticipationQuote: “If you are the only person that does something and you want more people to come and help you in your user group, in your volunteer work, whatever it is that you’re doing, if you’re the only person that does everything and you want other people to participate, there’s just one way. You have to stop doing something!”Timestamp: 00:34:23–00:34:38Context: Bruno shares a philosophy on community leadership, explaining that stepping back from some responsibilities is essential to encourage others to contribute, thereby strengthening the community. Watch for this in communities. Leaders know how to do this to encourage more participation.
JavaOne’s Vibrant ReturnQuote: “JavaOne was awesome! I really enjoyed the talks. I really enjoyed the people that were there and had great conversations. There’s people that came to JavaOne for the first time and they’re like, oh man, it’s such an amazing event. So I’m glad we’re back!”Timestamp: 00:00:31–00:00:43Context: Bruno expresses his enthusiasm for the return of JavaOne 2025, highlighting the event’s energy, the quality of technical talks, and the community engagement. It was a significant moment for Java developers new to the community and also established developers.
A Gift for Career GrowthQuote: “I wrote 15 emails, one for each chapter of the book that gives you one main idea from each chapter. So if you download the book, I’m going to send you all of those 15 emails.”Timestamp: 00:38:36–00:38:47Context: Bruno offers a practical resource for developers, sharing that he and Heather Van Cura wrote a book on career growth, and he provides free access to the first chapter and a series of emails summarizing key ideas to help developers apply these principles. The book is called “Developer Career Masterplan: Build your path to senior level and beyond with practical insights from industry experts.”
Interview Archive
Get full access to Jim Grisanzio at jimgrisanzio.substack.com/subscribe