Hello:
I started my programming career with technologies aimed to the client side (HTML, CSS, JavaScript, ActionScript). But some years later I also worked with server technologies: first with PHP and then with
Java EE. I liked Java so much, that I aimed my career to it almost exclusively. This made me miss out lots of important JavaScript projects, such as jQuery, DOJO,
AngularJS, Ember.js, etc. Well, I tried one or two of them slightly, but all this time I've been using my own (and very old) libraries. Now I believe that it's time to abandon my crappy libraries and catch up with the new Web technologies.
Although I know that "I've arrived late to the party", I've considered the JS projects that I've mentioned above, plus others that are more recent, such as Polymer.js and Aurelia. But although I loved dynamically typed languages at the beginning of my career, now I must admit that it's the opposite. I prefer statically typed languages not only because it's easier to detect errors while programming, but because the IDEs can do much more with them. This has made me re-consider technologies such as TypeScript and Dart. Specially because I'm seeing that many programmers are starting to use JS as a type of "bytecode for the Web", while they code in a stricter language. But then I've wondered why to learn a new language if I can use something like GWT, which is written in Java.
I know that GWT is not "the trend of the moment" any more because of the boom of the JS frameworks. And also that its development has slowed down for the last years. However, the fact that a similar concept to GWT's is being used in new pseudo-JS frameworks, and the fact that the project could be revived in
2015 2016, have led me to want to learn GTW. But I still have doubts... These are:
* Do you think that is it worth learning GWT at this point?
* Do you think that is it worth learning GWT although I know JS/DOM, as way to avoid the dynamic typing?
* Given the need, Could I manipulate the DOM from Java as I do with JS? (I think I could use GwtQuery)
* Do you think that GWT still has a healthy future? The official blog seems to be inactive since 2014 :/ .
Thank you.