Updated: 17/4/07; 10:59:06.
James Strachan's Weblog
Ramblings on Open Source, Java, Groovy, XML and other geeky malarkey
        

Friday, August 29, 2003

Dynamically typed languages like Ruby and Python are getting quite popular it seems. I'm still not convinced we should all move to dynamically typed languages any time soon - however I see no reason why we can't use both dynamically and statically typed languages and choose the best tool for the job.

I've wanted to use a cool dynamically typed scripting language specifically for the Java platform for a little while. There's plenty to choose from but none of them quite feel right - especially from the perspective of a die hard Java programmer. Python and Ruby are both pretty cool - though they are platforms in their own right. I'd rather a dynamic language that builds right on top of all the groovy Java code out there & the JVM.

Jython, beanshell and Rhino are quite close - but none of them quite feel right for my needs. (JRuby looks dead, Jython's quite behind Python though it is the closest to what I want right now). Apart from beanshell, most of them are languages designed with other use cases or criteria in mind and the bridge to the JVM was an afterthought and so don't quite sit nicely in a Java (platform & language) developers toolkit - even if thats just some minor syntax things (like __init__ and self in Jython).

So I've been musing a little while if its time the Java platform had its own dynamic language designed from the ground up to work real nice with existing code; creating/extending objects normal Java can use and vice versa. Python/Jython's a pretty good base - add the nice stuff from Ruby and maybe sprinkle on some AOP features and we could have a really Groovy new language for scripting Java objects, writing test cases and who knows, even doing real development in it.

I'm finding that most of the time spent in a TDD style development model is actually coding the unit tests. There's typically lots of unit test code for little application code. Also there does seem to be some baggage when writing unit tests in java. This seems a great opportunity for using a concise & powerful dynamically typed language. So the initial idea was to make a little dynamic language which compiles directly to Java classes and provides all the nice (alleged) productivity benefits of python / ruby but allows you to reuse, extend, implement and test your existing Java code - and use that to write your unit tests. Add a little groovy maven plugin and hey presto, we've boosted the TDD development cycle and created a nice dynamically-typed alternative to Java along the way.

After some IRC chats with bob a new groovy language for the JVM has started to take shape, called Groovy. Its still very early days and much of this just exists on the GroovyWiki though bob's started work on the lexer & I've started hacking some GroovyTests (unit tests in groovy) together to test the Groovy language implementation whenever we get the compiler/runtime working.

We'd love to hear any thoughts or ideas folks have - either via groovy-dev email list or GroovyWiki or just via the comments on this blog entry. Please do add any thought you've got to the WishList page.

We're starting simple with the nice tuples, sequences, maps from python & closures from ruby and being concise & dynamically typed with a java-look-and-feel though where we end up is anyones guess right now.
2:06:06 PM    comment []

© Copyright 2007 James Strachan.
 
August 2003
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
          1 2
3 4 5 6 7 8 9
10 11 12 13 14 15 16
17 18 19 20 21 22 23
24 25 26 27 28 29 30
31            
Jul   Sep




Click to see the XML version of this web page.
Subscribe to "James Strachan's Weblog" in Radio UserLand.
Click here to send an email to the editor of this weblog.
blogchalk: James/Male/31-35. Lives in United Kingdom/London/Islington and speaks English. Spends 60% of daytime online. Uses a Fast (128k-512k) connection.
this site is a java.blog

currently subscribed to:

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. <big>kev's</big> catalogue of this and that.

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. /\ndy's Weblog

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. /dev/null

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. ::Manageability::

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. Abe Fettig's Web Workshop

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. Absurdities and nonsenses

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. All Things

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. All Things Distributed

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. Andres Aguiar's Weblog

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. Aslak Hellesoy's Weblog

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. bayard

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. Be Blogging

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. Blaug Blawg Blog

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. Blogging Pubbitch

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. bob mcwhirter

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. Brett Morgan's Insanity Weblog Zilla

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. Brian Behlendorf's Blog

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. Brian Jepson's Weblog

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. Brian Maso's Tecno-Geek Weblog

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. Bright Eyed Mister Zen

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. Cafe con Leche XML News and Resources

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. CapeBlog

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. Citations for : squishy

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. Clemens Vasters: Indigo'ed

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. Cocoon and more

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. Code Feed

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. Code:Q

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. Codito ergo sum

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. corporate eejit

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. Coty's Radio Weblog

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. Craig Burton: logs, links, life, and lexicon

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. crazybob.org - web log

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. Crowbar Tech

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. cwinters.com

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. Darren Hobbs

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. deem

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. deep:code

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. dion

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. dive into mark

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. DJ's Weblog

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. Don Box's Spoutlet

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. Don Park's Daily Habit

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. dorodok

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. Doug Kaye: Web Services Strategies

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. Eclectic

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. Eric Alexander

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. ericfreeman.com

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. Erik Hatcher - Blog

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. Erik's Weblog

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. Fast Takes

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. Forwarding Address: OS X

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. Free XML tools

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. Glen Daniels

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. Gordon Weakliem's Weblog

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. graham glass: what's next?

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. gru's logic

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. grubbel

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. Guido Casper's Radio Weblog

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. IKVM.NET Weblog

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. Jason Carreira

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. Java Testing, Tools, and Engineering

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. java.sun.com

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. JavaGu(i)(y)

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. Jeff Turner's Weblog

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. jelly

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. jeremiahcode

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. Jeremy Allaire's Radio

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. Joe's Jelly

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. Joel on Software

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. Jon's Radio

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. Jon's StudioZ.tv Blog

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. josh lucas' Radio Weblog

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. jutopia

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. kdub's log

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. Ken Bereskin's Radio Weblog

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. Knowing .NET

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. mabo

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. Mac Net Journal

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. MacSlash

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. manicwave

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. Mark O'Neill's Radio Weblog

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. Martin Dulisch's Radio Weblog

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. Matt Croydon::postneo

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. Memory Dump

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. meta-douglasp

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. miceda

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. Michael J. Radwin's blog

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. Mike Clark

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. Mitch Kapor's Weblog

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. Mozquito XForms

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. Nathan Torkington's Radio Weblog

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. Nicholas Riley's Weblog

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. nickminutello

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. Ockham's Flashlight

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. Off the beaten track

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. ongoing

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. Organic BPEL

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. Otaku, Cedric's weblog

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. Outer Web Thought Log

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. Ovidiu Predescu's Weblog

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. Part of the problem.....

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. Patrick Chanezon's Radio Weblog

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. Patrick Logan's Radio Weblog

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. Peter Drayton's Radio Weblog

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. PragDave

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. PSquad's Corner

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. Pushing the envelope

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. Raible Designs ~ We Build Web Apps

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. Random thoughts

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. Ray Ozzie's Weblog

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. rebelutionary

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. Remus

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. Rick Salsa's Blog

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. rinkrank

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. Rod Waldhoff's Weblog

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. rosewater

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. Royle's Random Ruminations

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. Sam Ruby

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. Sanjiva Weerawarana's Radio Weblog

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. Sean McGrath, CTO, Propylon

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. Service Oriented Enterprise

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. skizz.biz

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. Sklires Skepsis...

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. Small Values of Cool

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. Spike's GeekBlog

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. Steve Conover's Weblog

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. Steve's Radio Weblog

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. Technomagica

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. Ted Leung on the air

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. The Blue Pill

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. The Fishbowl

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. The Mountain of Worthless Information

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. The Occasional Blogger

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. TheArchitect.co.uk - Jorgen Thelin's weblog

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. TheServerSide.Com: Your J2EE Community Forum

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. thinair

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. Thinking About Computing

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. Tobiased thoughts

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. Tomalak's Realm

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. toolbox

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. transMorphic

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. Vincent Massol Think Tank

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. Weblog for Costin Manolache

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. Weblog: Morgan Delagrange

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. WebMink

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. Whispering

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. X180

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. XMLhack

Radio UserLand users: click to subscribe. Other folks: use the RSS link to acquire this channel. xpzen.com: what's on my mind

Here's how this works.