
Google Web Toolkit 1.7 - kirubakaran
http://code.google.com/webtoolkit/doc/1.7/ReleaseNotes_1_7.html
======
cschneid
Is GWT frontend only, or is it a full stack front and backend thing?

~~~
johnyzee
It is both, as it is both a front-end development platform including a full
set of widgets and an AJAX implementation that handles all the plumbing of
exposing and invoking AJAX services.

It doesn't tell you how to implement the back-end application though so it is
not an application framework in that sense.

(I don't mean to pimp, but I have previously mentioned
<http://www.teampostgresql.com> which we develop using GWT)

~~~
bcl
You're contradicting yourself then. If it doesn't implement the backend then
it isn't both.

~~~
johnyzee
It implements the unmarshalling of incoming AJAX requests on the backend. The
application developer takes over from there.

There is GWT code running on both the server and the client. That was what I
meant in my comment.

------
moe
I like it, but it's still java-only.

That makes it a private static final No go, for me.

~~~
pohl
What do you mean by java-only? This toolkit is, at its most fundamental level,
a Java-to-Javascript compiler. Are you hoping that they write a Python-to-
Javascript compiler and still call it GWT?

~~~
stanleydrew
no, they call it pyjamas:

<http://pyjs.org/> <http://code.google.com/p/pyjamas/>

~~~
lacker
Pyjamas is a port of GWT to python by a different team, by the way (you
probably already know, just making it clear)

------
bcl
How does this make things easier? I find FF + FireBug to be a pretty good dev
environment for the front end. The problem is integrated debugging with the
back end of things, whether that is PHP, Python or whatever.

~~~
jm4
It sounds like you might be confused about what GWT is. It's not a replacement
or alternative to FireBug. They do completely different things.

GWT is basically a set of widgets and controls. It allows you to write Java
code that generates a slick HTML/Javascript/AJAX frontend without having to
worry much about things like requests and HTTP. It's a web development
environment that feels more like a desktop environment.

In any case, it also solves the debugging problem because the whole thing is
now in Java. Just use your Java debugger.

~~~
bcl
That's exactly what I'm asking.

Is the backend also in Java then? So that debugging front and backend is all
integrated? My impression from what I've read is that it is strictly front end
Java to Javascript conversion, not both sides.

(in my original comment I could have been a bit clearer I suppose -- I
currently find the pain in web app development to be debugging the interaction
between the UI and the backend. I see how GWT can make UI development easier,
but not the full stack)

~~~
wicknicks
Yes. Google released an Eclipse plugin which helps you write setup the toolkit
and start developing applications in no time. GWT also comes with an in build
server which lets you test run your Client side code with complete debugging
facilities of Eclipse/Java. I agree that Firebug is a good tool, but I just
can't replace Eclipse with FF/Firebug.

The complete backend can be coded in Java. This of course you can debug even
after you have compiled the entire front end of pure JS.

GWT also provides some useful data modeling techniques to exchange data
between the server and client (basically an abstraction over AJAX).

I used to dislike the earlier versions of GWT because of its dependency on
Java 1.2 and not being able to support the higher versions, but the current
versions seamlessly compile Java 1.6 code and its awesome.

