winning the case for ANT 2004-10-19 - By Erskine, Chris
Please see below.
Chris Erskine
EDS Consulting Services
F5-EDS-001
2424 Garden of the Gods Rd
Colorado Springs, CO 80919
Phone: 719-535-6064
Phone:
mailto:chris.erskine@(protected)
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Chappell, Simon P [mailto:Simon.Chappell@(protected)]
> Sent: Monday, October 18, 2004 9:15 AM
> To: Ant Users List
> Subject: RE: winning the case for ANT
>
> I have to correct a few things here.
>
> >-----Original Message-----
> >From: Erskine, Chris [mailto:chris.erskine@(protected)]
> >Sent: Friday, October 15, 2004 7:33 AM
> >To: Ant Users List
> >Subject: RE: winning the case for ANT
> >
> >
> >XML is just a standard way of formatting data. In this case,
> >the lines of data are script commands.
>
> No! Ant is not a scripting language. Perhaps it should have been, but the
> reality is that Ant is a build tool. It uses deterministic logic to build
> your application, given descriptions of your project and the dependencies
> between parts. This works really well in most instances. The biggest
> problem that I have seen with ant, is that people try to use it like a
> scripting language and wonder why that causes problems.
>
[Erskine, Chris] I agree that Ant is a build tool. As a build tool, it
requires something to tell it what to do. From
http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=script
For computer science, it states "A simple program in a utility language or
an application's proprietary language". This describes what is contained in
the build file. This is a script. A script is just a list of steps to be
followed. As such, Ant does use a scripting language which has been
formatted using XML.
> >You could define this format as a scripting
> >language. Each tool has its own formatting syntax. If you
> >look at Make, it
> >has its own format that has the problem of the first character
> >on a line
> >having to be a tab character to be a command for a target.
>
> Make is a fine tool, but it's not the best tool for Java applications. I
> like make, wrinkles and all, but I use ant for my Java projects.
[Erskine, Chris] I agree fully.
>
> >XML format is just the format that was chosen for ant to describe the
> >scripting. This is not a battle that will be won on merit
> >since it sounds
> >like it is a religious issue for this developer.
>
> Sounds like that project needs a good tech. lead to put their foot down
> and make a decision. A tech lead needs to be somewhat like Linus Torvalds,
> a benevolent dictator. :-)
>
[Erskine, Chris] You have to play the political game. Not always the best
answer but for some projects, this is a fact of life. This developer who
does not want to us XML for scripting may be the tech lead. Putting their
foot down and making a decision may not be what is wanted here. And, to
prevent more ranting, this person may be a 'good' tech lead. Just because a
person does not use all of the best practices, does not make them bad.
There can be a number of reasons for not using Ant. There are also a number
of issues with XML and although it is the current religion, it does not fit
in all cases which I think the industry is starting to see and move somewhat
away from it. XML is just a tool. Where it makes sense or can be used
without big problems, use it. But also, you need to know where it does not
fit.
> >ANT is not an industry standard. I do not even know if I
>
> It most certainly is a de-facto standard on the Java side of the fence,
> especially on the open source projects. To say otherwise is to display a
> certain amount of ignorance of the state of the Java world.
>
[Erskine, Chris] I agree that it is a de-facto standard. It is not an
industry standard. There is not a standards body that has blessed ant as a
standard.
> >could define it as
> >a best practice although I think it might be close. It is a
> >tool that used
> >by many people to automate their build and deployment of code.
> > It is very
> >good at what it does which is why it is a popular as it is.
>
> It's popular, it's used by many people ... sounds like a de-facto standard
> to me.
>
> <snip>
>
> >Chris Erskine
>
> Simon
>
> -----------------------------------------------------------------
> Simon P. Chappell simon.chappell@(protected)
> Java Programming Specialist www.landsend.com
> Lands' End, Inc. (608) 935-4526
>
> "Some problems are so complex that you have to be highly intelligent and
> well-informed just to be undecided about them." - Laurence J. Peter
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
> To unsubscribe, e-mail: user-unsubscribe@(protected)
> For additional commands, e-mail: user-help@(protected)
---------------------------------------------------------------------
To unsubscribe, e-mail: user-unsubscribe@(protected)
For additional commands, e-mail: user-help@(protected)
|
|
