Re: Groovy and Grails vs. Java for Web Interface (see Java web application
frameworks / architecture)
ck wrote:
- Its faster to check code change on running server, i.e is you made
some change in controller you don't have to restart the server, (could
be achieved in Java using something like java rebel).
Also achievable in Tomcat, for example.
- Database migrations far better than any "Java web application
framework"
Please explicate. What are the differences, and how is Ruby on Rails (RoR)
"better"?
- Conventions far better than any of the "Java web application
framework" I have come across so far
Please explicate.
- Simple applications can be developed very fast as compared to Java
web application frameworks.
I'm sure RoR is fine for simple applications.
- Code generation is a great help as it generates skeleton code and in
appropriate locations, most of the Java web application framework lack
in that. I am not saying that Code generation capability is going
build "entire application" but it cuts down on developers time to
navigate to folders creating files etc.
That's a toolkit difference, not a language difference. There are Java
toolkits that generate code, including both Eclipse and NetBeans.
- Build (Rake) is much efficient than most of the counterparts.
What do you mean by "efficient" here?
I am not saying all this cannot be achieved in Java, albeit is there
any framework in Java which does all this?
Yes. Java with one of the major IDEs deploying to, say, Tomcat.
As it would be true for any platform, if you are well versed with RoR,
most of the tasks required in web application can be done faster in
terms of "development time". That's not just because of RoR/Grails as
a framework, but due to nature of dynamic language. Java is bound to
be verbose and if you are choosing Java then you need to be prepared
to write lots and lots of code and configuration. If you choose RoR/
Grails, remember that it's much younger to its Java counterpart and
you might not find as many API as you find in Java.
Would you find as robust an API as Java had in version 1.2, when it was still
young?
I'm not down on RoR, just on unsubstantiated, vague, subjective claims that
it's "better" than Java for some undefined value of "better". You might as
well argue that a screwdriver is "better" than a hammer for carpentry.
--
Lew