OK, so I have been given an internal project, which will most likely be
done in Java. I don’t want this to turn into a Java/Ruby argument; I do
a lot of development in Ruby, and I’m very familiar with it’s benefits.
Let’s just assume for the sake of argument that the project requires the
use of Java.
I ask this here because I know a lot of you come from Java backgrounds,
and if you’re here that means you have an instinct for finding the best
tool for the job. Here’s my question:
What is the state of the art in Java web development? I know the Java
web development world has been through a lot of evolution over the
years; what’s currently at the top of the heap? What technologies
should I be boning up on if I want to get a Java web app up and running
with a minimum of trouble? What books/web sites/wikis/blogs/mailing
lists should I read?
To narrow things down a bit, this project will most likely NOT require
any interfacing with a database. So I’m mostly interested in the
front-end aspects of web development.
In my opinion, Java web development hasn’t progressed much. There are
the
few frameworks that try to change the mold (I’m using Wicket, which
isn’t
bad), but in general you’re 1. dealing with Java on the web, which will
always be a massive negative in my book and 2. dealing with a ton of XML
configuration if you stay with the “safe” frameworks (Spring, Struts,
etc).
That being said, I have to suggest giving Wicket a try ( http://wicket.sourceforge.net/), as it is the only framework without ANY
XML
configuration crap. It is a different way of thinking, basically SWT /
Swing
on the Web, and the library does have the best AJAX implementation I’ve
ever
seen because of this. Otherwise, another framework gaining traction is
Tapestry.
And just because I need to vent, Hibernate is really, really ticking me
off
at times. Personally, be glad you’re not dealing with a database here,
as
coming from ActiveRecord, using Hibernate feels like stepping 5 years
into
the past. Nothing is obvious, and the whole philosophy of “define the
object
layer, Hibernate writes out the database schema for you” is nothing
short of
insane.
Java was never meant to be a web language, and from here on out, I will
be
fighting vigorously to never do a Java website project again.
What is the state of the art in Java web development? I know the Java
web development world has been through a lot of evolution over the
years; what’s currently at the top of the heap? What technologies
should I be boning up on if I want to get a Java web app up and running
with a minimum of trouble? What books/web sites/wikis/blogs/mailing
lists should I read?
To narrow things down a bit, this project will most likely NOT require
any interfacing with a database. So I’m mostly interested in the
front-end aspects of web development.
Why not use JRuby on Rails? Leverage your existing skills. You’ll
probably also benefit from the lack of database because ActiveRecord
is the least flaky component in the Rails stack running on JRuby
today.
I haven’t had any time to look at it firsthand but I know of a few
java devs that are pretty happy with GWT or echo2, especially if
you’ve done any programming in swing. If I were to write a java web
app those would be the first places I’d go and “check out” unless I
just needed something
quick and dirty in which case I’d just bang out some jsp pages.