" We designed GWT so that it would naturally work with any Java IDE..."

IndicThreads >> GWT does not have the fancy widgets that some other toolkits/ javascript libraries have, so would you advise architects to use GWT for the asynchronous communication but use other Ajax libraries for effects?

Bruce Johnson >> It seems like the GWT widget story is shaping up well over the last six months. These days you can find most any widget you want either in the core GWT distribution or in third party open source libraries. In terms of architecture, I’d suggest designing a solid, fast, highly-usable application first, and worry about style and effects secondarily. Those latter things are important, but you can typically adjust CSS styles and add effects later as icing on the cake. There are several existing effects libraries for GWT, both native Java ones as well as GWT/Scriptaculous bindings.

" There are several existing effects libraries for GWT, both native Java ones as well as GWT/Scriptaculous bindings..."

IndicThreads >> Can GWT be integrated easily with popular javascript libraries like Dojo and Scriptaculous?

Early in the design of GWT, we knew that people would need to integrate existing JavaScript libraries with GWT code. That’s why we created the JavaScript Native Interface (JSNI). JSNI lets you implement Java native methods using handwritten JavaScript. That means that you can combine JavaScript source and Java source at will, making it straightforward to create Java classes that delegate to JavaScript libraries. We used JSNI to create the GWT bindings for Google Maps, Google Gears, and so on. Regarding Dojo and Scriptaculous, I’ve seen libraries that already do integrate them with GWT, as well as integration of several other popular UI libraries, including YUI and JsExt.

" Early in the design of GWT, we knew that people would need to integrate existing JavaScript libraries with GWT code..."

IndicThreads >> With GWT, are we moving further away from thinking of web applications in terms of pages to thinking of the application as a whole? Do you think traditional MVC web frameworks that revolve around pages would become irrelevant?

Bruce Johnson >> There will certainly be a mixture of server-side and client-side control for the foreseeable future. But GWT does make it easier to write much larger chunks of client code, so I expect that many applications will indeed move a lot of the MVC–type logic to the client. Doing more on the client is particularly important in high-stakes applications that can really benefit from the increased responsiveness of a smarter client. You can see by reading the GWT Developer Forum that As developers become more proficient with GWT, they start to see less and less need for having complex server-side logic and state The ideal application architecture from a scalability standpoint is a smart client and stateless server. This arrangement works very well with load balancing, because any request can be routed to any free server, which in turns makes failover nearly automatic.

" As developers become more proficient with GWT, they start to see less and less need for having complex server-side logic and state..."

IndicThreads >> The 1.4 Release Candidate of GWT has some interesting features like ImageBundle. Can you elaborate on the new features in 1.4 and any other exciting new features lined up for release?

Bruce Johnson >>

GWT 1.4 was a huge release with features that span a wide variety of areas. It included a ton of bug fixes as well. In terms of widgets, it includes splitters, rich text, suggest box, and several more. There are some major compiler optimizations that improve both the size and speed of the compiled JavaScript. There is also other library functionality, including formatting and parsing of date/ time value and numbers, and the very popular ImageBundle. The GWT 1.4 blog post tells the full story (http://googlewebtoolkit.blogspot.com/2007/08/ gwt-14-release-and-out-of-beta.html).

" We’re really proud of ImageBundle because it clearly demonstrates the kinds of effective win/wins you can get with GWT..."

Regarding ImageBundle specifically, it is a code generation library that automatically combines multiple small images into a single cacheable image using the “CSS sprites” technique.We’re really proud of ImageBundle because it clearly demonstrates the kinds of effective win/wins you can get with GWT, making both code easier to write and more performant simultaneously.

IndicThreads >> What's the overall direction that GWT is taking?

Bruce Johnson>> We will continue to look for ways to make GWT easier to use and great for interoperating with other client-side technologies while continuing to produce better, faster output. The team is extremely passionate about this mission because we realize that by enabling developers, we are indirectly helping millions of end users, which is very gratifying.

" We are indirectly helping millions of end users..."

IndicThreads >> Thanks for talking to IndicThreads Bruce. Wish you the very best.

Bruce Johnson >> It is my pleasure. I look forward to discussing GWT more with you as it continues to evolve.
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