abotar blog

Last Friday, I completed the release candidate of a commercial RIA product using GWT-Ext 2 and a JSON backend. GWT and Ext are two libraries that I kept reading about in blogs, but initially resisted using. I didn’t think GWT puts enough emphasis on aesthetic appearance out of the box, and I was not thrilled about the Ext license switch from BSD to LGPL.

The tipping point came when I first did a prototype with GWT-Ext, which is a combination of GWT and Ext that was first announced on July 2007. There were some cross-browser glitches, visual artifact issues, and obscure JavaScript exceptions during development. However, the overall result was far better than what I could have created with any other Ajax package for an application that needs to be heavily user-centric.

The client seemed very happy with the end user experience. As far as maintenance issues, the lead engineer of the company was comfortable with enhancing that application within a day of light training. This was due in part to Eclipse’s strong Java support, the well-defined HMVC/PAC-like architecture, and the lead’s excellent technical skills.

I have decided to take the plunge and start a blog. My blog will cover Web libraries that I am using such as GWT, Ext, and Grails plus whatever I feel like. If it generates additional freelance Java contracts to supplement my current irregular one, even better.

I have been reading Java-related blogs and aggregators for many years now, including the usual fare like java.dzone.com, theserverside.com, infoq.com, ajaxian.com, and of course javablogs.com. Blogs have changed my development experiences for the better. Who knew making Web software could be this fun?

With the wisdom of the (blog) crowds as my beacon in the sea of Java frameworks, my hit-miss ratio on technology choices has dramatically improved. No more questionable choices like Java Applets, Swing, J2ME/Java ME, EJB 1-2, and JSF for me. I have learned that frameworks and libraries that follow the DRY KISS (a.k.a. Don’t Repeat Yourself Keep It Simple Stupid) principle are usually the best ones.