So why Groovy? Why not Jython or JRuby? Why not one of the dozens of other programming languages that are designed to run on the Java Virtual Machine? It's my opinion, and I believe the opinion of those who support this JSR, that Groovy is the best choice because it was built from the ground up for the Java Platform and uses syntax that is familiar to Java developers, while leveraging some of best features that Python, Ruby and Smalltalk have to offer. Jython and JRuby are excellent examples of how existing languages can be ported to the Java platform, but they are, after all, ports. They use syntax that is not designed with Java developers in mind and they are founded on a completely different set of code libraries. Groovy is designed for Java developers and its foundation is the standard APIs of the Java Platform. - Richard Monson-Haefel Yes, it's built from the ground up from a Java perspective but when you use it aside JRuby or Jython that doesn't make much difference - it's just another language, just another port, and not one that feels like Java. Not the way Javascript or C# does. Anyway, at this stage, the Groovy community need to justify their approach to anyone - they're just getting on with it and if they want a JSR I'm for that. Groovy's legacy will be that it was language that changed how we think about the platform. I still like the idea of a Jython JSR - but for the wrong reasons - I think Jython is the best language available to the Java developer and damn if it doesn't get enough hype. But yes, Jython is not a hotbed of activity and it needs to get to 2.3 where the dynamic and functional idioms available are truly mature - if you think closures are excellent, wait until you use generators. Really, what we need is for Sun (and the J2EE vendors) to get behind the idea of dynamic languages running on the JVM for enterprise work as well as admin and housekeeping work. Maybe there's someone in there that wants to port Self? Or maybe someone wants to port C#? Maybe someone wants to build end-to-end J2EE apps in JRuby or Groovy? Who knows....
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