Java Magazine - January/February 2012

//polyglot programmer /

languages and immediately compare their performance.

Implementation Details Maven. The convenience of building a sophisticated project by running a simple command is almost magical when first encountered. Maven enables developers to build a sophisticated project with a simple command through a build tool analogous to Apache Ant that offers a way to create standardized builds without significant knowledge of the underlying details. All the project information is found in the pom.xml file (also known as the Project Object Model or POM).

A POM and a set of plug-ins are all that are used by Maven to construct the project provided with this article. The repositories used in the project are listed toward the end of the POM. This enables Maven to obtain various JAR files, in this case, scripting language implementations and engines.

The dependencies sec-
tion lists the specific JAR files
that are included in the proj-
ect. Some languages require
two JAR files, while others
require only one. This is
because some languages have JSR-223
support built into the language itself,
while others require a separate engine
that provides JSR-223 compatibility.
Maven plug-ins. Maven uses a plug-in
to perform a unit of work. A number
of plug-ins are available that can be
used to build a JAR file, including the
following:

COMMUNITY JAVA IN ACTION

The JVM is home
to some of the top
implementations
of new languages,
and it provides
an excellent
infrastructure for
running them. With
scripting language
support improving
in each new Java
release, we can
expect greater
improvements and
enhancements in
the future.
Conclusion

There are many advantages to understanding alternative languages for the JVM. The project presented in this article demonstrates how easily new languages can be incorporated into a project using Apache Maven.

The JVM is home to some of the top implementations of new languages, and it provides an excellent infrastructure for running them. With scripting language support improving in each new Java release, we can expect greater improvements and enhancements in the future. The best-prepared professionals will have a clear understanding of the resources available and how they can be best leveraged to address the technical needs driving business today. </article>