GWT 2.0 (opens in new tab)

(code.google.com)

52 pointsTFrancis16y ago33 comments

33 comments

Great Toolkit if you want to/can utilise the Java Tools echo system and everything else that comes with it and with the newer version the UIBinder allows for declarative UI. I personally haven't used the Code Splitting feature but i can see its uses.

A common misconception is that it doesn't allow writing direct JavaScript - it actually does.

nearestneighbor16y ago

> Java Tools echo system

Took me a while to figure out what the heck this "echo" is.

ivenkys16y ago

oops - sorry , my procrastination settings on HN mean that i have to type really fast , meaning no time for proof-reading.

DTrejo16y ago

ecosystem, oops.

michaelneale16y ago

Yes I have used it a fair bit to write javascript - in some ways it provides the boring bits of stuff around js (like module-like systems, name spaces etc..).

If you like IDEs, IDEA from jetbrains even knows when you are doing inlined JS and assists you as you code.

I thought I would hate GWT by now, but its one of those things that mostly stays out of my way. Would I used it for a new project from scratch? Not sure... maybe. There are lots of other options now for more classic web approaches that dont' require it to be a monolithic ajax app (and jquery is pretty hardened to provide a lot of the glue/lubricant).

martythemaniak16y ago

One thing I would be interested in is some experiences in using the some of the JVM languages (Scala, Groovy, Clojure, Jython) with GWT.

oconnor016y ago

Client side or server side? Because GWT compiles directly from Java to JS so you can't compile Scala using GWT to run in browser.

ivenkys16y ago

If you meant server-side , then it really doesn't matter. Its just byte-codes and GWT encourages modular development for client and server-side.

So write your server side in your favourite JVM language and keep your client-side to Java.

pohl16y ago

Actually, write the server side in any language at all...not just JVM languages! GWT imposes no restrictions on the server side. Using servlets does win you a nice RPC mechanism, but you could use JSON and CPython, if you prefer.

amichail16y ago

What I think Google should do is build a Silverlight competitor that is open source.

What's the point of this Javascript hacking with suboptimal results?

teej16y ago

> What's the point of this Javascript hacking with suboptimal results?

Javascript performance has been making huge leaps in the past few years, and Google is helping to drive that further. Plus, penetration is hard. Javascript availability is practically 100% vs. Silverlight's 20%.

amichail16y ago

It's not just about speed. But even if you focus on speed, Silverlight will always be much faster.

Check out this c64 emulator in Silverlight 3:

http://channel9.msdn.com/posts/Dan/Honorable-Mention-MIX09-S...

2 more replies

huherto16y ago

I think Google is actually thinking javascript is going to be the base machine language of the browser. They seem to be investing a lot of effort on the V8 engine. http://code.google.com/p/v8/

ShabbyDoo16y ago

Does V8 compile to a bytecode similar to Java? I know that it does JIT compilation to native code and then caches it for future use. If it happens to have a bytecode representation, we could read the Google tealeaves and conclude that Google sees compiled JavaScript as an ugly steppingstone toward a binary representation of client-side code.

1 more reply

amichail16y ago

Why would Google think such a thing when Silverlight has better tech? Why not build a Silverlight competitor?

1 more reply

nostrademons16y ago

Google's Silverlight competitor is HTML 5.

pkulak16y ago

It's called Webkit. And GWT uses it.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse

33 comments

ivenkys16y ago

A common misconception is that it doesn't allow writing direct JavaScript - it actually does.

nearestneighbor16y ago

> Java Tools echo system

Took me a while to figure out what the heck this "echo" is.

ivenkys16y ago

oops - sorry , my procrastination settings on HN mean that i have to type really fast , meaning no time for proof-reading.

DTrejo16y ago

ecosystem, oops.

michaelneale16y ago

Yes I have used it a fair bit to write javascript - in some ways it provides the boring bits of stuff around js (like module-like systems, name spaces etc..).

If you like IDEs, IDEA from jetbrains even knows when you are doing inlined JS and assists you as you code.

martythemaniak16y ago

One thing I would be interested in is some experiences in using the some of the JVM languages (Scala, Groovy, Clojure, Jython) with GWT.

oconnor016y ago

Client side or server side? Because GWT compiles directly from Java to JS so you can't compile Scala using GWT to run in browser.

ivenkys16y ago

If you meant server-side , then it really doesn't matter. Its just byte-codes and GWT encourages modular development for client and server-side.

So write your server side in your favourite JVM language and keep your client-side to Java.

pohl16y ago

amichail16y ago

What I think Google should do is build a Silverlight competitor that is open source.

What's the point of this Javascript hacking with suboptimal results?

teej16y ago

> What's the point of this Javascript hacking with suboptimal results?

amichail16y ago

It's not just about speed. But even if you focus on speed, Silverlight will always be much faster.

Check out this c64 emulator in Silverlight 3:

http://channel9.msdn.com/posts/Dan/Honorable-Mention-MIX09-S...

2 more replies

huherto16y ago

I think Google is actually thinking javascript is going to be the base machine language of the browser. They seem to be investing a lot of effort on the V8 engine. http://code.google.com/p/v8/

ShabbyDoo16y ago

1 more reply

amichail16y ago

Why would Google think such a thing when Silverlight has better tech? Why not build a Silverlight competitor?

1 more reply

nostrademons16y ago

Google's Silverlight competitor is HTML 5.

pkulak16y ago

It's called Webkit. And GWT uses it.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse