Yup, yours truly will attempt to setup a rapid environment for building (and ultimately selling for a handsome profit :)) Java web applications. Java is great for servers and large projects that take months to roll out but I’m more interested in completing projects in weeks and that are extremely easy to maintain. Time is money and I need more of both

This goal has been set because of two reasons.

The first being so that I can bring this knowledge to my workplace (yes, the workplace isn’t a conducive place to experiment and learn, due to layers of red tape not to mention having to do boring work). By having a working RAD environment, I can practically force it down my MIS’ throat. Nah, I won’t, I’m nice to the guy. I’ll probably just use a mind trick on him.

The second is the primary reason though - freelancing. Yes, finally, I’m gonna attempt to break out of the rat race. Working for the man has its benefits but doing freelance work not only generates extra income but also widens horizons. I’ll probably be able to do stuff I wouldn’t be able to at work. Play with cutting edge technologies, do actual coding for a change (not doing much coding at work nowadays, more of design, team lead, pre-sales - yawn…),etc.

So obviously for someone that has barely enough time to spend time away from the computer when I just have one regular job, I’ll need to spend time to actually come up with a setup to speed up Java development. Here’s how I plan to do it:

• Setup continuous integration server with CVS, Hudson and a bug tracker (currently undecided). Of course, this is all going to run on VMWare Server (See? My 2.8GHz Core 2 Duo and 2GB RAM isn’t just for gaming ;)). Having a CI server is not only uber-cool, but it’ll also make sure overall quality is higher, assuming unit tests are written.
• Use AppFuse 2 extensively for most (if not all) projects. The second version is so lovable - built upon Spring & Hibernate. Throw in excellent Maven support and I’m all sold. Oh, not to mention that AppFuse projects are compatible with Eclipse. AppFuse also has a lot of code/xml generation utilizing annotations so that’s another thumbs up for productivity.
• Use MyEclipse as an IDE of choice. With all else being equal, using a good IDE can really speed up coding. I’m too stingy for IntelliJ IDEA though. Besides, I’m already soooo used to Eclipse anyway.

So let’s hope I get his up and running soon. Damn I accomplish more on my weekends than my entire workday!