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I think it was back in March that I first blogged about DropWizard.  DropWizard is one of those funny technologies that I find falls into the category of sometimes making folks uncomfortable.  This usually initially comes off as looking down upon unconventional solutions but if you can have a conversation about it there may be something more.

Sure there are organizations full of folks who won't discuss anything that's either "not supported" or even slightly off the beaten path.  It's not always part of the reason but it's worth keeping the "resume padding" factor in the back of your mind when having these discussions.  The other thought from days gone by is the "No one ever got fired for recommending ____________" (fill in the blank with your favorite currently popular and profitable software giant).

The last time I blogged about DropWizard it was still new to me but I got it pretty quickly and I think you will too if it fits your use case.  The update since then goes something like this.  I have built an application using DropWizard which is close to going into production.  Very few folks have asked how we implemented this new app but I expect more will in the not too distant future.  Hopefully I'll have a chance to give credit where it's due.

What's new this time around, at least to me, is the DropWizard/Gradle combination.  One example is here on github.  One thing, among many, I absolutely love about the IT profession is how often things change...for the better.  When I first encountered Gradle it was, IMHO, not ready for primetime but I was very impressed.  I have certainly continued to watch it.  It most recently caught my attention when the OpenJDK guys announced they had moved to it.  If you don't know about Gradle, some say it's the replacement for maven.

I am guessing most reading this have heard this joke more than once but it does illustrate how ideas come, go, get better, and come back.

 “Q: What’s the difference between Ant and Maven? A: The creator of Ant has apologized.”

 I have repeated that one a few times to make a point but I have no idea who should get the credit for it...please let me know if you do.

The DropWizard/Gradle combination has inspired me to pick up where I left off with Gradle and redo a maven project or two.

I hope you'll have time to take a look at both.

Happy coding,
Carl

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