airhacks.fm podcast with adam bien jclasslib--The 3k Stars Bytecode Editor
Sep 14, 2025
Ingo Kegel, creator of jclasslib and co-founder at EJ-Technologies, dives into the fascinating history of his bytecode viewer that's been evolving since 2001. He discusses the shift from various version control systems and the integration of jclasslib with modern platforms like Visual Studio Code. Ingo compares Swing and SWT for desktop applications and offers insights on using FlatLaf to modernize UIs. The conversation also touches on Java's compatibility improvements, the growth of the class file format, and the role of jclasslib in bytecode editing and profiling.
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Homebrew Surprise
- Adam installed jclasslib via Homebrew and discovered it installed a native Mac app bundle, surprising him.
- Ingo clarified he didn't publish the Homebrew formula; the community did it independently.
Private JDKs Improve Reliability
- Bundling a private, modularized JDK per app avoids shared-JRE versioning problems and improves reliability.
- Ingo sees trimmed private runtimes as a key benefit of the module system despite other module complaints.
Trim Runtimes With jlink
- Use jlink to create a trimmed runtime that contains only needed modules for smaller, secure deployments.
- Trim the Java runtime to match your app to reduce attack surface and ensure reproducible tests.