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GWT pronounced «gwit» Seriously? First I've heard this is how you pronounce it. And how does one pronounce gwit? I think I'll continue to call it: G.W.T.
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'm surprised GWT is still used out there. It's slow as hell to compile and JS libraries are so much better and more response nowadays.
Being able to write the entire application, from the client and the domain model on down to the backend, in the same language, re-using classes across the entire application, is a big advantage.
In addition, being a very mature toolkit by now, GWT has A LOT of features to make life easier. Transparent RPC/serialization, code obfuscation/deobfuscation, IDE integrated debugging, i18n, resource bundling, code splitting, JavaScript interoperability, and a lot of other stuff.
Current project: Real-time multiplayer GTA-style game based on HTML5 canvas:
Earlier quoted context omitted.
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).
It makes sense in the enterprise world where everyone love Java and Eclipse (at least as far as I can see). It doesn't make sense on HN, not at all.
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.