Effective Java, Second Edition by Joshua Bloch is an updated version of the classic first edition, which was the winner of a 2001 Jolt Award. This edition has been updated to discuss Java 6 language features including generics, enums, annotations, autoboxing, the for-each loop, varargs, and concurrency utilities. InfoQ asked Bloch several questions about the areas that the new edition covers.
Bill Pugh has released FindBugs 1.3.9, the latest update to the popular Java static analysis tool. The latest release adds 12 new bug detectors and continues to work on improving the effectiveness of FindBugs as a tool for developers working with large code bases, a trend which will continue with the 2.0 release expected later this year.
A recent article published in IBM developerWorks talks about automating Continuous Integration and Code Inspection tasks in a build process using open source tools. It explains how to install and configure Hudson server with Subversion, Ant, and software inspection tools like FindBugs and PMD to create a build process with continuous feedback on test results and defects.
Static analysis tools help developers locate potential problems in their code. Static analysis is an inspection of code without executing it, looking for problems as varied as misunderstood APIs to use of the wrong boolean operators. This post summarizes the six of the leading tools and discusses the current trends in static analysis tools.
