Cool. May I ask which tools (IDE) you've been using and what your experience with these tools has been.
-Juergen On Wed, Jan 5, 2011 at 2:34 AM, Jeremy Thomerson <jer...@wickettraining.com> wrote: > On Tue, Jan 4, 2011 at 5:15 PM, richard emberson <richard.ember...@gmail.com >> wrote: > >> Dev Wicketers, >> >> What: I have ported Wicket to Scala >> A couple of months ago I took a 1.5 snapshot and ported to Scala. >> This encompasses all of the source and test code. As successive 1.5 >> snapshots were released, I ported those differences to my Scala >> version. I am current with 1.5 M3. >> >> The Java 137,791 loc in 1.5 M3 are now 100,077 loc Scala (not >> counting all the println statements I put into the Scala code >> for debugging). I used cloc (http://cloc.sourceforge.net/) to >> count lines of code. >> > > I haven't used CLOC before. I've used Ohcount ( > http://www.ohloh.net/p/ohcount) and like it. I'll have to give this a try. > > > I have also replaced all of the Java collection classes with >> Scala collection classes (though a small number of Java collection >> classes remain that did not have comparable Scala implementations). >> >> I have changed many method return types from the Java returning >> some "object" or "null" to Scala returning "Some(object)" or "None" >> (using the Scala Option[return-type] construct) - trying to >> eliminate nulls. >> >> Lastly, I pushed the IModel[T] typing down to the Component class >> making get/set DefaultModel and get/set DefaultModelObject strong >> typed. This included using Scala companion object apply methods >> which eliminated having to explicitly declare type parameters in >> most end-user code (I had read that one of the objections to >> pushing strong typing down to the Component class in Wicket was >> that there were "too many notes", end-user code was too verbose). >> >> It can not interoperate with Java Wicket because Scala compiles to >> JVM class files and so all of the classes in Java Wicket also >> appear in Scala-Wicket. > > >> I have an "internal" name for my Scala port of Wicket which >> acknowledges its Wicket heritage as well as advertises its >> enterprise level capabilities. For external communications, >> I am currently simply call it Scala-Wicket. >> >> Why: Scala is a better Java >> I was introduced to Scala 9 months ago and quickly determined that >> it was a better Java (at least IMO). For Scala to succeed it >> requires more programmers to use it. Many on the Scala mailing >> lists were from a functional background and seemed not to recognize >> that Haskell and Lisp are not blindingly successful but, rather, >> niche languages and that the heavy selling of Scala's function and >> typing capabilities might turn off Java programmers. >> >> Scala struck me in many ways as a strong-typed JavaScript, at >> least, much of the code did not have to have type declarations >> because the compiler could infer types in many cases. In addition, >> a whole lot of the Java boil-plate code was not needed. As such, >> it could be sold as simply a better Java; a more-to-the-point >> object oriented language with functional programming in-the-small. >> >> To get more Java programmers to try Scala I looked for a >> significant Java application with a strong support and user >> community that I could port to Scala. I ended up with Wicket. >> Wicket is an enterprise level web framework (unlike existing >> Scale web frameworks which place restrictions on enterprise IT >> organizations, e.g., by requiring sticky sessions). It is well >> documented. And, as it turned out, very, very importantly it had >> a large number of unit tests (the unit tests saved my butt, >> without them I would never had succeeded in getting a port that >> worked). >> >> No, Really, Why: >> I like Scala and I took the time to learn it. Right now about >> 20% of programmers use Java while only some 0.4% use Scala. >> I did not want my effort of learning Scala to be wasted so my >> solution is to increase the number of Scala programmers. Where >> to get them? Again, my solution is from the existing horde of >> Java programmers. >> >> Plans: Release, Evolve and Proselytize >> I would like to release Scala-Wicket. >> I do not know if Apache hosts anything other than Java code. >> Growing a community is important. >> >> Still Todo: >> Comments: All of the existing class and inline comments are >> still Java related. This would have to be a long, on-going >> task to edit the comments so they reflect the code's >> Scala usage. >> Package path: The code still uses the "org.apache.wicket" >> package path and this must be changed - unless this became >> an Apache project. >> Author: I have quite literally looked at and touched every line >> of code but I have not yet felt comfortable with adding >> myself as an author since, well, many changes were >> syntactic and not semantic. >> Refactor with Traits: Currently the port uses Scala traits like >> Java interfaces but it should be possible to factor the >> common code out into the traits. This would result in many >> of the interfaces, the "I" files, such as IModel.scala, >> going away. >> Some general refactoring: >> As an example, consider factoring out the IModel[T] from >> Component. Half the time a user wants a Component with >> no model, so, if there was a HasModel trait: >> class Model[T](var value: T) { >> def getObject: T = value >> def setObject(value: T): Unit = this.value = value >> } >> trait HasModel[T] { >> var model: Model[T] >> def getDefaultModel: IModel[T] = model >> def setDefaultModel(model: IModel[T]): this.type = { >> .... >> this >> } >> def getDefaultModelObject: Option[T] = { >> .... >> } >> def setDefaultModelObject(obj: T): this.type = { >> .... >> this >> } >> } >> The Component hierarchy would have no model support. >> The user could add model support when needed: >> val form = new Form("hi") >> with HasModel[Int] { var model = new Model(42) } >> Just an Idea. >> STM: There are a number of Scala STM projects and I do not know >> if it is useful to add STM capabilities to Scala-Wicket. >> RBAC: I've written a Scala implementation of the NIST RBAC >> recommended standard and might consider adding it. >> Logging: Adding a Scala-based logging framework to aid user >> debugging. >> Monitoring and stats: In the last couple of years many web >> sites have added monitoring and statistics gathering >> capabilities (e.g., who clicks what, where, how long, on >> what page does the visitor exit the web site, etc.) in >> order to know how the web site is being used and then >> improve the web site. >> Significant Memory Usage Reduction: I've an idea that would >> significantly decrease the memory usage of Scala-Wicket and >> I plan to do a test implementation. >> Replace Java features: There are still some Java-isms that can >> be replaced with Scala equivalents. >> Port additional Java Wicket libraries to Scala. >> Enable multiple instances of a unit tests to be run at once. >> More: ???????????? >> >> I want to avoid using some of the WTF features of Scala (when a >> Java programmer looks at the code and says "WTF") in order to >> ease and accelerate acceptance by Java programmers; as >> examples, implicits can make code hard to understand and >> advanced Scala type usages, as James Gosling said, "makes one's >> head spin". >> >> >> Help and Advice: How should Scala-Wicket be extended and released >> >> Scala-Wicket is a port and evolution of Wicket, not a ground-up >> re-write. Given that, what would you do differently in Wicket >> now that there are years of experience using it? >> >> How best to get a hosting site, release the code and build a >> community? >> > > If you're looking for a place to host it, I'd recommend starting with > Github. Git is where the crowd is headed, and Github is the easiest place > to get up and running with it these days. > > You mentioned earlier the idea of it being an Apache project. If you wanted > it to be an Apache project, you would start at the Incubator ( > http://incubator.apache.org/). The one barrier you'll have initially is > that Apache favors "community over code"... so it's not a great place to > start a one-man project. Since this is a port of an existing Apache > project, you might have more leniency, but you'd have to build a community > around the project before you could ever "graduate" from the incubator. > > Probably Github is your best bet for now. Build a community. Then, if your > community is in favor, move to Apache. By that time, ASF might have full > git support. > > >> Are there any mechanism to help fund such an open-source project? >> > > Best bet is to build a community. Of course, if you can find some company > that wants such a project, you can get monetary support to develop / > maintain. But that seems unlikely in this case with the limited number of > companies looking for Scala out there, and especially since this is an > unproven port of a large Java project. So, start by getting folks like > jWeekend involved - great coders who are already salivating for Scala. Find > other individuals such as yourself who are interested, and build a group of > core committers. > > >> This is not meant to be a general announcement but rather a means >> for me to get some initial advice as to how to proceed. >> >> Any help is appreciated. >> >> Richard Emberson > > > I'm impressed. Quite an undertaking. > > -- > Jeremy Thomerson > http://wickettraining.com > *Need a CMS for Wicket? Use Brix! http://brixcms.org* >
