I've used Google Web Toolkit, and it does what it claims: It allows you to write web apps in Java. GWT has solid abstraction layers, an optimizing compiler, and clever support for image spriting. Using GWT is only marginally harder than writing a desktop application in Java.
Of course, that leaves open a larger question: Do you, personally, want to write web apps in Java? If not, then you'll find GWT to be a clever solution to a problem that you didn't want solved.
I think GWT would be most useful to data-driven apps/services that need a web interface. All of your heavy data mining can be done in highly optimized Java, and then you won't need to context switch in order to implement your web frontend. It's a win-win.
That's not to say that it can't be used in a more "social" context (Rypple uses GWT for their app, and I have yet to see problems there), but I'd imagine that it has greater use for data miners and enterprise applications.
Comments
I've used Google Web Toolkit, and it does what it claims: It allows you to write web apps in Java. GWT has solid abstraction layers, an optimizing compiler, and clever support for image spriting. Using GWT is only marginally harder than writing a desktop application in Java.
Of course, that leaves open a larger question: Do you, personally, want to write web apps in Java? If not, then you'll find GWT to be a clever solution to a problem that you didn't want solved.
I think GWT would be most useful to data-driven apps/services that need a web interface. All of your heavy data mining can be done in highly optimized Java, and then you won't need to context switch in order to implement your web frontend. It's a win-win.
That's not to say that it can't be used in a more "social" context (Rypple uses GWT for their app, and I have yet to see problems there), but I'd imagine that it has greater use for data miners and enterprise applications.