Web Application Frameworks

[Tony Morris]

I've recently been checking out the "Web Application Frameworks" forum, mainly because I'd like to be in the running for the book on Spring

I have noticed a considerable amount of questions (90%?) to be on Struts.
I used Struts a while ago and so I'm not up to speed, but since, have upgraded to using frameworks that are better implemented (but perhaps not as common) such as WebWork.

Is it worth splitting out "Web Application Frameworks" and "Struts"?

Just a thought.

[paul wheaton]

Jason,

This is your forum, what is your opinion?

[Helen Thomas]

IMO, it seems like a good idea to split Struts as Craig McClanahan - Inventor of Struts advocates looking for a migration path from Struts to JSF. Conveniently he was the co-specification lead for JavaServer Faces 1.0 (JSF) and currently an architect for, Sun Java Studio Creator.

Which begs the question: Is JSF a WAF ?

[Gregg Bolinger]

Originally posted by Helen Thomas:
Which begs the question: Is JSF a WAF ?

Yes and no. It can be a complete framework since the faces-config.xml allows for managed bean declaration and navigation rules. Similar to the struts-config.xml. It can also be used purely as a view technology since you can use any backend you want with it.

There is just enough to it that makes it a better fit for the Web Application Frameworks forum than something like JSP. And there is not enough JSF traffic to warrent it's own forum, yet.

[Jason Menard]

Oops, just saw this. I think having a Struts forum in addition to a Web Application Frameworks forum would just lead to more confusion. If however it gets to a point where JSF and Spring start to look like they are at a point where they could maintain their own forums, I think at that point we should consider splitting up the three into their own separate forums, and then having an "Other Web Application Frameworks" forum. Are we at that point now? I'm not so sure. Struts still seems to be where the majority of the interest is by quite a stretch, although we are starting to see more questions for Spring and JSF in particular.

[Gregg Bolinger]

I think the problem with moving Struts into it's own forum is that several other WAF and AF utalize Struts. JSF can use Struts for it's controller as can Spring. So if you move Struts into it's own, where do you post questions about the jsf-struts project or integrating Tiles with Spring?

Right now, I think it's best the way it is. Jason is right. It could get a lot more confusing.

[Jeroen Wenting]

Is that really an argument? Struts uses JSP and Servlets and those aren't integrated in the same forum...
There will always be areas where there is a possibility of confusion as to where a question is best placed but that should be no reason to not divide the forums into managable chunks.

If Struts indeed covers the majority of questions in the forum to the point where other topics are lost in the noise it is probably time to give it a forum of its own.
Seeing the amount of Struts questions moved from the JSP forum to the web frameworks forum that might well be the case.