GWT for ajax-functionality

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Software and Version
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GWT. Google Web Toolkit. Toolkit for development of complex web-browser-scripts 
that interacts with servers using ajax. Coding is done, mostly, in java. The 
Java code is then compiled into highly optimized javascript code and deployed 
on a web server. 

Reason for change
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- Motivation / benefits
Using Java competence when writing Javascript. Most participants in the project 
are, at the core, Java-developers. Familial tools as JUnit-test, Cobertura and 
Java-editors can be utilized. 

The project also feature competence in the area of web design. Together with 
the 'UiBinder' feature of GWT this knowledge can still be harnessed when 
writing ajax-scripts. 

Writing big javascripts more easily. GWT facilitates support for using common 
java  development techniques when writing javascripts. For instance using 
advanced ide:s built in features of code refactoring and enhancements, 
JUnit-tests. 

Keeping to the DRY principle. Code that should be run on the client does not 
have to be writen twice (once in js and once in Java). Validation code is a 
good example of such functionality. 

Very good support of generating x-browser code. The framework generates 
different scripts for different browsers, optimizing the code in custom ways. 

For a lot more reasons read documentation at www.gwtproject.org 

- "what´s the business case ?" - is it worth the investment?
One example of a project that would benifit is IFeed: The business are, at the 
moment, using a traditional developed js-script for showing news from the 
document handling process at VGR. This functionality is important for the 
organization (and for the swedish public) and is used by quite a lot of people 
(VGR is one of the larger employer of the country). 
Due, partly, to browser compatibility problems this script is to be refactored 
imminently. The quality of this functionality-rewrite would increase if GWT 
were used. JUnit tests could find errors more early. Speed of execution could 
be better for the client. Development time would be lesser and the skill of web 
designer would be better utilized thanks to the GWT UiBinder feature.

Generally: Sometimes the project needs to make ajax-capable applications. When 
the complexity of these are in the larger scale and/or the spread of that 
functionality will be significant a framework like GWT would add great value. 
Writing complex code with no, or poor, capability of aided code refactoring and 
testing is hard. Writing code that works on most browsers at the same time is 
even harder, without a good x-browser library like GWT.

Impacts
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- License cost
No Cost.
- Education
Hopefully no special education is needed. The project hosts one known person 
that have experience with the framework. By pair programming needed start-up 
information can be passed to other members of the team. Skills that are 
required do already exist in the project, Java, Html, Css, JavaScript and such. 
- Migration / adaption of existing software
GWT can be added to the project toolbox without changing anything else.
- Risks
Using GWT to much could introduce ajax-coding into parts of the applications 
that must function without such type of functionality. Thankfully just 
disabling Javascript execution in the browser will test for such mis-designs. 

Does this replace some existing, already approved, software
***********************************************************
To some extent this replaces the use of existing Javascript frameworks. But 
this only to a degree since GWT only should be used when doing significantly 
larger ajax-scripts. 

Earlier experiences of the suggested software
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The GWT project have collected som of these on 
http://www.gwtproject.org/casestudies.html or 
http://www.gwtproject.org/whos_using_gwt.html
One project member, the sender of this request, have professional experience of 
using this framework. 

Original issue reported on code.google.com by claes.lu...@gmail.com on 9 Sep 2013 at 8:15

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Original comment by Hans.Gyl...@gmail.com on 9 Sep 2013 at 8:56

• Changed state: InProgress

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The council meet today and had initial talks regarding the rfc.
Well motivated and described rfc.!
The council will contact you for further details.

Original comment by Hans.Gyl...@gmail.com on 20 Sep 2013 at 2:56

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The council has decided to approve GWT for exclusive use for the iFeed project.

(BA)Begränsad användning - Limited Usage

Original comment by Hans.Gyl...@gmail.com on 19 Mar 2014 at 7:19

• Changed state: Accepted