Build processes - Making Java Groovy - page 157

and an angle (in radians) along the circle and generates a complex number, which is then
stored in the database.
The Grapes system is simple and effective, but limited in practice. The additions work in a
script, but for a larger system it's more common to use a full-scale build tool, like Gradle,
which is the subject of the next section.
5.6. The Gradle build system
Gradle is proposed as a next-generation build solution. Gradle combines the flexibility of
Groovy builds with a powerful domain-specific language (DSL) that configures a rich set
of classes.
As with virtually all Groovy projects of any significant size, Gradle is written in both Java
and Groovy. Gradle is essentially a DSL for builds. [ 10 ] It defines a language of syntax and
semantics that allows you to write a build file quickly and easily.
10 Mandatory DSL jokes: “JavaScript is a DSL for finding browser bugs”; “Java is a DSL for generating stack
traces”; “Maven is a DSL for downloading the internet.”
Gradle doesn't come with an installer. Instead you just download a ZIP file, set the
GRADLE_HOME environment variable to wherever you unzip it, and add the $GRADLE_
HOME/bin directory to your path, and you're ready to go. In fact, you don't even need to
install Groovy first, because Gradle comes with its own version of Groovy.
How projects in the Groovy ecosystem include Groovy
One of the dirty little secrets of Groovy is that the major versions are not always binary
compatible. Code compiled with one version doesn't necessarily work with any other.
This means that projects in the Groovy ecosystem have a choice. They can either be com-
piled with different versions of Groovy and make the Groovy version number part of their
own version, or they can bundle in a particular version of Groovy.