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update index page, updating Ant's self-description, also removing old paragraph about Ivy

git-svn-id: https://svn.apache.org/repos/asf/ant/core/trunk@907840 13f79535-47bb-0310-9956-ffa450edef68
master
Antoine Levy-Lambert 15 years ago
parent
commit
feee81046a
2 changed files with 44 additions and 100 deletions
  1. +20
    -46
      docs/index.html
  2. +24
    -54
      xdocs/index.xml

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docs/index.html View File

@@ -272,59 +272,33 @@
<p>For more information see the <a href="antlibs/antunit/">Antlib's <p>For more information see the <a href="antlibs/antunit/">Antlib's
home page</a></p> home page</a></p>
<h3 class="section"> <h3 class="section">
<a name="Apache Ivy is an Ant Sub-Project Now!"></a>
Apache Ivy is an Ant Sub-Project Now!
</h3>
<h3>October 11, 2007 - Apache Ivy is an Ant Sub-Project Now!</h3>
<p>Apache Ivy, "A Java based tool for tracking, resolving and
managing project dependencies.", just finished <a href="http://incubator.apache.org/">Incubation</a> and has joined
the Ant project. More information will be available from the Ant
site soon.</p>
<p>Until we've finished the migration, you can learn more about
Ivy from its <a href="http://incubator.apache.org/ivy/">Incubator
website</a>.</p>
<h3 class="section">
<a name="Apache Ant"></a> <a name="Apache Ant"></a>
Apache Ant Apache Ant
</h3> </h3>
<p> <p>
Apache Ant is a Java-based build tool. In theory, it is kind of like
Make, but without Make's wrinkles.
</p>
Ant is a Java library and command-line tool.
Ant's mission is to drive processes described in build files as targets
and extension points dependent upon each other.
The main known usage of Ant is the build of Java applications.
Ant supplies a number of built-in tasks allowing to compile, assemble,
test and run Java applications.
Ant can also be used effectively to build non Java applications, for
instance C or C++ applications. More generally, Ant can be used to
pilot any type of process which can be described in terms of targets
and tasks.
</p>
<p> <p>
Why another build tool when there is already <em>make</em>, <em>gnumake</em>,
<em>nmake</em>, <em>jam</em>, and
others? Because all those tools have limitations that Ant's original author
couldn't live with when developing software across multiple platforms. Make-like
tools are inherently shell-based -- they evaluate a set of dependencies, then
execute commands not unlike what you would issue in a shell. This means that you
can easily extend these tools by using or writing any program for the OS that
you are working on. However, this also means that you limit yourself to the OS,
or at least the OS type such as Unix, that you are working on.
</p>
Ant is written in Java. Users of Ant can develop their own
"antlibs" containing Ant tasks and types, and are offered
a large number of ready-made commercial or open-source "antlibs".
</p>
<p> <p>
Makefiles are inherently evil as well. Anybody who has worked on them for any
time has run into the dreaded tab problem. "Is my command not executing
because I have a space in front of my tab!!!" said the original author of
Ant way too many times. Tools like Jam took care of this to a great degree, but
still have yet another format to use and remember.
</p>
<p>
Ant is different. Instead of a model where it is extended with shell-based
commands, Ant is extended using Java classes. Instead of writing shell commands,
the configuration files are XML-based, calling out a target tree where various
tasks get executed. Each task is run by an object that implements a particular
Task interface.
</p>
Ant is extremely flexible and does not impose coding conventions or
directory layouts to the Java projects which adopt it as a build tool.
</p>
<p> <p>
Granted, this removes some of the expressive power that is inherent by being
able to construct a shell command such as
<code>`find . -name foo -exec rm {}`</code>, but it
gives you the ability to be cross platform -- to work anywhere and everywhere.
And hey, if you really need to execute a shell command, Ant has an
<code>&lt;exec&gt;</code> task that
allows different commands to be executed based on the OS that it is executing
on.
Software development projects looking for a solution combining build tool and
dependency management can use Ant in combination with <a href="http://ant.apache.org/ivy/">Ivy</a>.
</p> </p>
<h3 class="section"> <h3 class="section">
<a name="Documentation"></a> <a name="Documentation"></a>


+ 24
- 54
xdocs/index.xml View File

@@ -99,66 +99,36 @@
home page</a></p> home page</a></p>
</section> </section>


<section name="Apache Ivy is an Ant Sub-Project Now!">
<h3>October 11, 2007 - Apache Ivy is an Ant Sub-Project Now!</h3>

<p>Apache Ivy, "A Java based tool for tracking, resolving and
managing project dependencies.", just finished <a
href="http://incubator.apache.org/">Incubation</a> and has joined
the Ant project. More information will be available from the Ant
site soon.</p>

<p>Until we've finished the migration, you can learn more about
Ivy from its <a href="http://incubator.apache.org/ivy/">Incubator
website</a>.</p>
</section>



<section name="Apache Ant"> <section name="Apache Ant">


<p>
Apache Ant is a Java-based build tool. In theory, it is kind of like
Make, but without Make's wrinkles.
</p>

<p>
Why another build tool when there is already <em>make</em>, <em>gnumake</em>,
<em>nmake</em>, <em>jam</em>, and
others? Because all those tools have limitations that Ant's original author
couldn't live with when developing software across multiple platforms. Make-like
tools are inherently shell-based -- they evaluate a set of dependencies, then
execute commands not unlike what you would issue in a shell. This means that you
can easily extend these tools by using or writing any program for the OS that
you are working on. However, this also means that you limit yourself to the OS,
or at least the OS type such as Unix, that you are working on.
</p>

<p>
Makefiles are inherently evil as well. Anybody who has worked on them for any
time has run into the dreaded tab problem. &quot;Is my command not executing
because I have a space in front of my tab!!!&quot; said the original author of
Ant way too many times. Tools like Jam took care of this to a great degree, but
still have yet another format to use and remember.
<p>
Ant is a Java library and command-line tool.
Ant's mission is to drive processes described in build files as targets
and extension points dependent upon each other.
The main known usage of Ant is the build of Java applications.
Ant supplies a number of built-in tasks allowing to compile, assemble,
test and run Java applications.
Ant can also be used effectively to build non Java applications, for
instance C or C++ applications. More generally, Ant can be used to
pilot any type of process which can be described in terms of targets
and tasks.
</p>
<p>
Ant is written in Java. Users of Ant can develop their own
&quot;antlibs&quot; containing Ant tasks and types, and are offered
a large number of ready-made commercial or open-source &quot;antlibs&quot;.
</p>
<p>
Ant is extremely flexible and does not impose coding conventions or
directory layouts to the Java projects which adopt it as a build tool.
</p>
<p>
Software development projects looking for a solution combining build tool and
dependency management can use Ant in combination with <a href="http://ant.apache.org/ivy/">Ivy</a>.
</p> </p>


<p>
Ant is different. Instead of a model where it is extended with shell-based
commands, Ant is extended using Java classes. Instead of writing shell commands,
the configuration files are XML-based, calling out a target tree where various
tasks get executed. Each task is run by an object that implements a particular
Task interface.
</p>


<p>
Granted, this removes some of the expressive power that is inherent by being
able to construct a shell command such as
<code>`find . -name foo -exec rm {}`</code>, but it
gives you the ability to be cross platform -- to work anywhere and everywhere.
And hey, if you really need to execute a shell command, Ant has an
<code>&lt;exec&gt;</code> task that
allows different commands to be executed based on the OS that it is executing
on.
</p>


</section> </section>




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