The future of GWT and functional programming on the web

[steve Zara]

Although I have major projects in development using GWT, I'm concerned for its future, and I need to make decisions about which technologies to use for new development.  The reason for my concern is that after years of updates to GWT and reports of new technologies, 2015 has been quiet.  The official release of GWT 2.8.0, the release would provide for GWT developers the long-awaited syntax and libraries of Java 8, seems to have been postponed indefinitely, with no reports as to when it's likely to appear.  There's certainly no sign of GWT 3.0, which was discussed at GWT.create 2015.  

GWT seems to have lost visibility at major forums for software development, such as InfoQ, instead, the talk is of native JavaScript, ClojureScript and Scala.js.  If GWT is no longer going to be providing a way to use modern software techniques (such as the new functional syntax of Java 8) on the client side, what is likely to be the best alternative?  Scala.js seems the closest, providing a type-safe high-performance language on the JVM, and full functional programming on the web.  (There was a Scala GWT project for a short time, but that has died).

Is there likely to be an official GWT 2.8, even if GWT 3.0 never happens?   Or should those of us who want to make use of the power of functional programming accept that Java (via GWT) isn't going to ever officially provide that on web clients?

[Tranquiliser]

From what I heard, GWT team is heavily working on GWT 3.0. I have been using GWT 2.8.0 SNAPSHOT for a few months. Its lambda support is pretty awesome and very completed. Due to lack of resource on adding emulation of some JDK classes, 2.8.0 release is postponed ... 

I have been using GWT for all frontend projects since 2009. IMO, the core value of GWT is transpilation. I develop all of the business logic in GWT and utilize native JS libraries out there (jquery, chosen, google api, crypto, oauth, tinymice, filepicker, fetc) via JSNI (or GWT wrapper if applicable). Its true GWT is quiet this year, but I am not so worried as I looks at it as a transpiler. At the end of the day, a transpiler doesn't expire as long as Java stays.

[Jens]

According to the last steering group meeting minutes, the release of 2.8 is only waiting for JsInterop 1.0 to be finalized. The meeting minutes say that this is expected to happen at the end of september. If this holds true you will see a release relatively shortly after that. The lack of Java 8 API emulations (java.time, streams, etc) is not considered a blocker and is expected to be provided by contributors. I have already done some work on that and together with Colin Alworth and James Nelson we plan to tackle java.time and streams. But as we will work on that in our free time, chances are that it will not be part of GWT 2.8 yet. 

So with a 2.8 release the worst thing you can get is Java 8 syntax (lambdas, method references, default/static interface methods, intersection casts), stable JsInterop annotations, better SDM, lots of bug fixes. In the best case you also get some Java 8 API emulations. I guess there will be a 2.8.1 shortly after with additional Java 8 API emulations.

Also according to the meeting minutes the new GWT compiler is expected to work at the end of the year. This would then act as the base for an upcoming GWT 3.0 release.

-- J.

[steve Zara]

Thank you!  That's exactly the kind of news I was hoping for.  I do appreciate all the work that is put into GWT, and it has been a vital part of my software development for many years (and is in released products).  The thing that has been concerning is simply the lack of news!  

Thanks again.

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[Joshua Pappalardo]

Any word on what has happened here? It's now late October and we haven't seen a release for a year.

[Thomas Broyer]

We just had a steering committee meeting a few hours ago, and 2.8 RC1 has been scheduled for next week (I was a bit late so I missed the details though)

[steve Zara]

That is excellent news.  Thanks for all the hard work.

[fahmi musa]

good news. thanks all

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[Sam Edge]

How exciting!

[Andrei Volgin]

I've been using GWT for years. Obviously, I am a little biased, but I love GWT. I am totally fine with using more native JS and in general with the direction the steering committee is taking. I am much more concerned with the marketing effort behind GWT. Success of any open source technology depends on the size and vibrancy of its community. In other words, we should be all concerned with attracting more developers to the platform. I am going my part - I answered more questions on SO tagged with GWT than anyone not named Thomas Broyer :)  And while support for existing developers is important, it's equally important to recruit more developers/teams who are starting new projects.

http://www.gwtproject.org/ was a step in the right direction. I think, however, that we need to add a list of prominent projects using GWT and a showcase of apps created with GWT. Showcase of widgets is fine, but many developers may not realize that GWT in no way limits creativity or design possibilities. I am proud, for example, to showcase my latest project:

https://www.angelslikerebels.com/#Discover:

This is pure GWT/MGWT - no third party widgets. You can see how the UI changes on phones compared to desktop, with minimal extra code. Scrolling behavior was a major PIA, but that's a topic for another post.

I am sure there are many beautiful apps built with pure GWT or a combination of GWT and other UI frameworks. We should put them on a webpage page, which every developer can point to the next time his or her boss/client/co-worker asks what can be done with GWT. Anything can be done with GWT! And it may look any way you like it.

Andrei Volgin

Angels Like Rebels, Inc.

President & CTO

[steve Zara]

I'm at a loss to understand why the current page of examples contains links to videos from the LAST DECADE.

I'm a huge fan of GWT.  It forms the main part of my current development.  But right now GWT 2.8.0 is turning into the "Duke Nukem Forever" of frameworks.  At this rate GWT 3.0 won't be out before I have retired.  

I just don't understand why.  There were surely plenty of possible GWT 2.7.x releases, such as the use of lambdas.  I'm also mystified as to why there is any current talk of GWT 3.0 when GWT 2.8.0 has still not been released a year after GWT 2.7.0.

Seriously - what is going on with GWT?  Why the lack of publicity?  Why the secrecy?  If there really are problems, is it time for a fork of GWT in which there can be visible progress?

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[salk31]

I've got a horrible Betamax feeling but I really can't face going back to the "cool kids" framework of the month.

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