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GWT just got a new look

gwtproject.org

11–20 of 70 posts

Re: GWT just got a new look

#11
I've never used GWT, but it looks a lot like ASP.NET (all the button declarations in code, heavy page lifecycle in code, etc.). Can anyone with ASP.NET knowledge comment on that? ASP.NET has many problems, there are valid reasons why most developers are moving towards ASP.NET MVC so I wonder what is the place for GWT in modern web dev.

Re: GWT just got a new look

#13
post #3

Gah! Again! People not explaining what something is on the landing page! > GWT is used by many products at Google, including Google AdWords and Google Wallet. It's open source, completely free, and used by thousands of enthusiastic developers around the world. Any amount of things fit that description. Beer? Air? Clicking "Learn about GWT" gets you this: > GWT is a development toolkit for building and optimizing comp…

When I see a landing page like this, I feel that this is their filter. If you are interested in knowing more, you will seek the answers. Otherwise, you will move on to the next HN post... The ones that seek to know more are the ones they want to engage. Only my speculation.

> The ones that seek to know more are the ones they want to engage.

GWT is a solution, not a community. It might have a community behind it, but some poor soul might land up on that page with the only intent of getting shit done within the scope of their own job.

The ultimate core goal of GWT is to save people time: that is why developers write frameworks. Why should someone have to waste time [struggle to learn the purpose of 'framework X'] in order to save time [use 'framework X'].

Saving people time starts on your landing page. They need to be able to accept or reject your framework with as little further research as possible. "This is what our product does, here are some people who use it, this is what people say." Once people know that you can carry on with the more floral explanations.

Re: GWT just got a new look

#14
post #3

Gah! Again! People not explaining what something is on the landing page! > GWT is used by many products at Google, including Google AdWords and Google Wallet. It's open source, completely free, and used by thousands of enthusiastic developers around the world. Any amount of things fit that description. Beer? Air? Clicking "Learn about GWT" gets you this: > GWT is a development toolkit for building and optimizing comp…

I agree but GWT is such a well-known project that it's almost OK in this case.

Re: GWT just got a new look

#15

I've never knowingly seen GWT used in practice. Does anyone have any examples of (semi) notable websites utilising it?

According to an HN comment by user cromwellian, it's widely used inside Google including the new Inbox mail app:

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8554339

Other references mentioned by the poster are "Apple (iAds Workspace), Amazon (AWS Console), Nike".

Re: GWT just got a new look

#16
post #14
post #3

Gah! Again! People not explaining what something is on the landing page! > GWT is used by many products at Google, including Google AdWords and Google Wallet. It's open source, completely free, and used by thousands of enthusiastic developers around the world. Any amount of things fit that description. Beer? Air? Clicking "Learn about GWT" gets you this: > GWT is a development toolkit for building and optimizing comp…

I agree but GWT is such a well-known project that it's almost OK in this case.

I still don't quite grok GWT, even having known about it for something like a decade. Is it a web application frontend thing that compiles Java to JavaScript?

Re: GWT just got a new look

#17

I've never knowingly seen GWT used in practice. Does anyone have any examples of (semi) notable websites utilising it?

I used it for about 8 months, Hated it. Its like a big wall between you and the DOM.

I guess its good of you hate html and javascript. But once you grow up and realise your making a web page and need to control the DOM in a particular way, it just gets in your way.

Re: GWT just got a new look

#18
post #14
post #3

Gah! Again! People not explaining what something is on the landing page! > GWT is used by many products at Google, including Google AdWords and Google Wallet. It's open source, completely free, and used by thousands of enthusiastic developers around the world. Any amount of things fit that description. Beer? Air? Clicking "Learn about GWT" gets you this: > GWT is a development toolkit for building and optimizing comp…

I agree but GWT is such a well-known project that it's almost OK in this case.

Never heard of it until today.

Re: GWT just got a new look

#20
post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree but GWT is such a well-known project that it's almost OK in this case.

I still don't quite grok GWT, even having known about it for something like a decade. Is it a web application frontend thing that compiles Java to JavaScript?

Basically yes, you write in Java and it compiles it full-client side JavaScript application. But it also has a lot of goodies, like "templating" or rather binding DOM to code, internationalization, code splitting (so not everything is loaded upfront), client-server communication and other things needed in front development. You typically develop one-page applications with it (fully client side).
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