The Google Web Toolkit's AJAX Recipe: Less JavaScript, More Speed

How popular is the Google Web Toolkit (GWT)? Google claims their Java web development framework for AJAX (asynchronous JavaScript and XML) applications has been downloaded millions of times since being launched during the JavaOne Conference in May 2006, but perhaps a better indication of its popularity is that Pearson Education dedicated an entire conference to it: Voices That Matter: Google Web Toolkit, a four-day affair for Java developers here this week. GWT's goal is to free Java developers from having to make that choice by taking the client-side scripting out of their hands. GWT is composed of two components: an AJAX widget library and a cross-browser compiler that converts Java code into AJAX.