The issue of the number and size of JARs needed for clients - stand-alone or Java EE app clients - is represented in issues (
https://glassfish.dev.java.net/issues/show_bug.cgi?id=4109) and other forum posts.
We are very eager to address this in GlassFish v3. An earlier comment mentioned about packaging or factoring, and that's precisely why we have not been able to address this prior to v3. As an example, quite a few of the classes that the app client container needs are in appserv-rt.jar (in v2). But so are many other classes that the ACC has no interest in or dependency on. Yet, as noted, the whole JAR needs to be present on the client to provide those classes that the ACC does need. The same applies to some extent with some of the other required JARs.
The packaging of classes and resources into JARs has received and continues to receive very close attention in v3. The task was just too large and its scope too broad to allow any meaningful improvements prior to v3.
I realize this does not offer much short-term relief to people strugging with this in v2. But sometimes it helps to know that improvement is on the horizon.
- Tim
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