Hi Mike,
You don't need to be a Groovy expert in order to take advantage of the framework. A great thing about Groovy code is that you can write it as if it were
Java code, that is, the syntax is 98% close to Java. As time passes by and as you feel more comfortable with the language you can switch to a more idiomatic version.
However, we're aware that some people won't be able to make the switch (for a wide variety of reasons), that's why Griffon provides top-notch Java support as well. Yes, you can write a Griffon application in 100% Java code. The Griffon Guide has an entry about that topic here
http://dist.codehaus.org/griffon/guide/guide/13.%20Tips%20and%20Tricks.html#13.2%20Dealing%20with%20Non-Groovy%20Artifacts
Basically, you start by creating an application with the following command
All artifacts (Controllers, Models, Views & Services) will be initialized using a Java based template. The Griffon APIs are Java and Groovy friendly. If you're curious about Groovy I would recommend you to pickup to great books:
- Groovy in Action 2nd edition (currently in MEAP)
- Programming Groovy by Venkat Subramanian
Cheers,
Andres