Generics are one of the most complex features of Java. They are often poorly understood and lead to confusing errors. Unfortunately, it won’t get easier. With the introduction of Value Types, proposed for Java 10 in 2018, Generics will be extended yet again. It’s now time to understand generics or risk being left behind.

We start by stepping back into the halcyon days of 2004 and explain why generics were introduced in the first place back. Then we travel to the present to explaining how to make effective use of Generics. Finally, this talk sheds light on the planned changes in Java 10 using practical code examples at every step.

Throughout this talk we'll also be talking about how the usage of generic code in Java has evolved hand in hand with other language features. Things like the introduction of Lambdas in Java 8 and the forthcoming changes related to Value Types all play their part in our story.