Blockchain for Java Developers – Luc Desrosiers

We’re looking forward to welcoming Luc Desrosiers on Wednesday 24th April where he’ll present his Blockchain for Java Developers talk to the LJC. He’ll take us through the basic concepts behind blockchain, explore the type of use cases where blockchain can make a difference and introduce us to a real-life example of a Java application leveraging Hyperledger Fabric.

Luc is an IBM Certified IT Architect with over 20 years of experience. He recently moved with his family from Canada to the UK to join one great lab: IBM Hursley. This is where he had the opportunity to join the IBM Blockchain team. He is now working with clients across multiple industries to help them explore and understand how Blockchain technologies can enable transformative use cases and solutions.

We were lucky enough to catch up with him ahead of his talk to find out a bit more about what to expect.

1. Who do you think should come along and why?
This talk is for anyone, from business analyst, architect to developer. It is intended for the people wondering what is the hype around blockchain and how can this be applied to the enterprise.

2. What do you think are the three most interesting questions that this event will answer?
I am hoping that we can help clarify the idea, concepts and application of blockchain technology. The objective is NOT to make you the best bitcoin miner or an expert with Initial Coin Offering. Instead, this talk is focussed on the application of blockchain in the context of the enterprise and answers the famous what? why? and how?

• What is blockchain?
  What are the technical underpinning that makes it so interesting and revolutionary? In the blockchain sphere, there is a lot of technical mumbo jumbo like Smart Contract, Merkle tree, crypto accumulator, hash chain, utxo etc…what do they mean, how are they applied to the business domain?
• Why use blockchain for the enterprise?
  Like any new technology, there are good and bad use cases. Blockchain is not a silver bullet but it can certainly help instil trust in a business network. So what are the good use cases? What are the main considerations that go into the creation of a blockchain network? What are the privacy and confidentiality mechanism that can be used to convince organizations that may not fully trust each other to join a network?
• How can you get started learning more?
  Using a Java based application and Smart Contract running on Hyperledger Fabric, the session will take you through the main elements of creating a de-centralized application. It will provide you with a foundation that you can use to quickly get started in learning more about the subject.

3. Why do you think this presentation is important for people?
Like any new technology, there is always a lot of hype around it and it can be hard at times to see if this is truly revolutionary or just another fad that will pass. As a technologist, understanding how a technology can concretely be applied to the business just adds more tools to our toolbox. By removing the magic and hype around the technology, people can focus on the real important aspect: how to deliver solutions that are innovative and that matters.

4. Any advice for junior developers entering the industry?
Curiosity and passion will go a long way. We live an era where the world is constantly being re-invented. Each technology not only brings a new set of tools and capability but also a different paradigm; a different view of our world. By capturing and understanding these solutions, we become more effective at our job. So based on that, my single most important advice I could give is: Never stop learning and keep an open mind. It’s been said before, but it is true.

If you’d like to hear more, come along to the meetup on Wednesday 24th April at Kings College London.  You can find all the information and sign up here.