My 2 cents: script tasks are great; but I would hate to see support for common build needs pushed out of Ant just because a script task can do it. If common build setups require using scripts, then two of Ant's major strengths, simplicity of _use_ and portability, have been compromised:
Simplicity of use*, because if the build instructions for typical projects begin with "install Ant _and_ scripting app XYZ", even installing isn't so simple. Needing to learn yet another language just to understand the build file makes it even less simple. I'd really rather go read a real Ant task: I already know Java.
I believe that a scripting language should always be available as part of an Ant installation. I package ant as a single binary file, ant.jxe, which is an executable for JShell (http://www.vmeng.com/beard/JShell). I include BSF, and Rhino as part of the ant executable, so for JShell users, Rhino JavaScript will always be available.
Portability, because a build file that requires scripting is only as portable as the scripting application.
Rhino is 100% pure Java, runs on JDK 1.1 and later, and even compiles JavaScript code into Java bytecodes, so it performs very well.
I'd argue that projects that really want the simplicity and portability benefits of Ant should not use scripting. If they need something that Ant doesn't support, they should provide an appropriate Ant task. For common requirements, it would be a shame not to provide a standard task, or at least a standard "optional" task.
So you think providing a way to find the optional task is easier to do portably than to just bundle a scripting implementation into Ant itself? The advantage of scripts is that they don't require the compile/debug cycle that standard Java code requires, so the barrier of entry is lower. And, the flexibility of scripts means that I can define my own tasks, perhaps even sub-class internal tasks and tweak things to be exactly the way my build system needs. Being able to extend Ant's capabilities using Java is certainly a great thing, but having that be the only extension mechanism is limiting.
- Patrick --
// Patrick C. Beard // Java Runtime Enthusiast -- "Will invoke interfaces for food." // mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
