About the NYJavaSIG

The New York Java Special Interest Group (NYJavaSIG), based in New York City, is a unique community that brings together Java developers from the tri-state region and worldwide. Through our regular monthly general meetings, bi-monthly specialty workgroup meetings, our website, and social media presence, we provide a space for members to share tips, techniques, knowledge, and experience, fostering a collaborative and innovative environment unmatched in the Java community.

Founded in 1995 by Frank Greco, the NYJavaSIG started as a small SIG within the larger NY Sun Local User Group (NYSLUG). Frank and Scott Oaks delivered the first public Java tutorial on September 21, 1995, at the Equitable Center in midtown Manhattan, the day Java was formally announced to the world.  We began with just five members that day. As interest in Java rapidly grew, the NYJavaSIG outgrew its parent, the NYSLUG, leading to its independent identity as the NYJavaSIG. At that time, “SIG” was often used to describe a thriving subset of a larger technical community, so we retained “SIG” as a nod to those focused groups. Today, the NYJavaSIG community boasts over 10K members from our mailing list, YouTube channel, Meetup group, LinkedIn, and Mastodon. We are back to in-person meetings after a period of virtual meetings during the pandemic. The group averages 50-60 in-person attendees per monthly meeting (pre-COVID; we averaged over 150 for 25 years). Attendees come to hear the latest on Java technology from innovative technologists and industry leaders, some of whom are NYJavaSIG members.

The general meeting is held once a month, with locations posted on the NYJavaSIG website and our social media properties.   We have been graciously hosted by such companies as Bank of NY Mellon, Microsoft, Credit Suisse, VMware, Viacom, Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan, and many others. The Java Hands-On Workshop (Java HOW) meets bi-monthly at various locations, averaging 40-60 attendees. In the past, these workshops were held at Google and Sun Microsystems/Oracle.

The NYJavaSIG welcomes Java developers, architects, technical managers, webmasters, new media artists, network administrators, and anyone interested in Java technology. Past industry speakers have included well-known Java experts such as Arthur van Hoff, Jim Waldo, Scott Oaks, Henry Wong, Doug Lea, Calvin Austin, Guy Steele, David Sherr, Brian Goetz, Pratik Patel, Josh Bloch, Justin Lee, Gil Tene, James Ward, Karl Jacobs, Peter Bell, Ethan Henry, Nat Wyatt, Roman Stanek, Anne Thomas-Manes, Simon Phipps, Jeanne Boyarsky, Reza Rahman, Fabiane Nardon, Peter Haggar, Max Goff, Maurice Balick, Gavin King, Jonathan Nobels, Bob Pasker, Rinaldo DiGiorgio, Steve Ross-Talbot, Talip Ozturk, John Davies, Rod Johnson, Bert Ertman, Simon Ritter, Kirk Pepperdine, Matt Raible, Edson Yanaga, Victor Grazi, Chandra Guntur, and even Penn and Teller. These speakers represent significant Java organizations such as Sun Microsystems/Oracle, IBM, Google, Azul, Pivotal, Credit Suisse, Goldman Sachs, and Viacom. A video with a list of all past speakers is available.

Like its predecessor, the NYSLUG, the NYJavaSIG’s goal has always been to help software engineers, technologists, and technical managers in the NY Metropolitan area stay on the cutting edge. The NYJavaSIG has always strived to strengthen the New York region as a global center for technology and innovation. Reflecting on almost 30 years, the NYJavaSIG takes pride in having contributed to the growth of this vibrant technical community.

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