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[javaee-spec users] [jsr342-experts] Re: Logs. Should we finally do something ?

From: Jevgeni Kabanov <jevgeni_at_zeroturnaround.com>
Date: Mon, 10 Sep 2012 22:58:38 +0300

There is little need to change logging per se, but probably the ecosystem would benefit from accommodating solutions like statsd for monitoring. Old-style logging is just one way to monitor production applications and today the ecosystem is a great deal more complex and interesting. Standardizing on that level would make much more sense, I'm with Bill that Antonio's post doesn't not motivate a new standard on its own.

-- 
Jevgeni Kabanov
Sent with Sparrow (http://www.sparrowmailapp.com/?sig)
On Monday, September 10, 2012 at 10:53 PM, Bill Shannon wrote:
> It's always easier to create something new that meets exactly your own needs, with no requirement to be compatible with anything.  But if you want Oracle to support a new standard API for logging, I think you're going to need to convince us that the existing standard API for logging can't be improved to meet your needs.
> 
> "I don't like it" is not a reason.
> 
> "It's too hard" is not a reason.
> 
> "No one uses it" is not a reason.
> 
> "That's not the way I would've done it" is not a reason.
> 
> The existing API wasn't created in a vacuum - it was created by a group of experts from many companies who had experience with logging.  Maybe we've learned a lot about logging since then.  If so, convince us.
> 
> My impression is that most of the existing logging frameworks were created by someone who wanted something more or different out of logging than they could get with java.util.logging, and since they couldn't change java.util.logging they built something alongside it or on top of it.  Well, what if you could change java.util.logging?  Could you make it do what you think it should  do?
> 
> Either way, the place to make your argument is probably in the OpenJDK project.
> 
> 
> Antonio Goncalves wrote on 09/09/12 09:51: 
> > Hi Bill, 
> > 
> > As for JUL I won't go to any debat. I was the first one to push it on my project back in 2003/2004. Since then, I've never seen it used (except in GlassFish). So I'm not saying it's broken, I'm saying that nobody uses JUL, so let's use something else... but standard. A bit like JodaTime which is preferred to the Calendar/Date API. And, to be honest, I think it will be much more difficult (or impossible) to change JUL in the JDK than creating something new (a bit like changing Calendar/Date, rather use 310). Hopefully, when the JDK becomes modular, JUL will be a module we can skip. 
> > 
> > Like you I think that being a spec lead is hard work (that's why I won't do it), that's why I asked you if Oracle would support this effort. For what I've seen in my blog and Tweets, it looks like there are many people out there who would be interested in taking the job. But because it's so much hard work, an official support would help. Like Werner mentioned, there are a few JSRs out there that have been pushed by individuals (Date/Time is one of them). But I've seen that maybe some companies could also lead this JSR... who knows. 
> > 
> > I really think that people are waiting for a standard Logging API and trying to enhance JUL is risky and would be very time consuming (as people would disagree with each other, as they've been doing with all the logging frameworks out there for so long). So if a bunch of experts are ready to seat around the table and create a new JSR, why not ? 
> > 
> > Antonio
> > 
> > On Fri, Sep 7, 2012 at 9:47 PM, Bill Shannon <bill.shannon_at_oracle.com (mailto:bill.shannon_at_oracle.com)> wrote:
> > > I'm not sure I fully understand what you're proposing...
> > > 
> > > If you're proposing a new logging framework to replace java.util.logging, then, well, I can't speak for the JDK team but I think you need to engage with them in the OpenJDK project to see what they would think of that.  I have a hard time believing that java.util.logging is so broken it can't be made better and has to be replaced.
> > > 
> > > If you're proposing something specific to Java EE that works with or layers on java.util.logging, then I need to understand it better before I can support it.
> > > 
> > > In either case, you should note that the track record of individuals delivering successful JSRs through the JCP is very poor.  Delivering a JSR is a significant amount of work, usually much more work than any single person can do.  I would be very skeptical of any individual, or even some loosely affiliated open source project, being able to deliver a JSR successfully.  It requires a lot of hard work that isn't just the "fun" part of writing the code.  It's not impossible, but there aren't many existence proofs.  Oracle "supporting" the JSR is not going to change that.  It's not (just) about motivation or commitment, it's about resources.
> > > 
> > > 
> > > Antonio Goncalves wrote on 09/07/12 05:29: 
> > > > Hi everybody, 
> > > > 
> > > > Just to let you know that my blog has been viewed by 1401 people in the last 24 hours and I've received many tweets and comments... mostly by developers who struggle on a day to day basis with logs. 
> > > > 
> > > > Bill, Linda, shall we go a little bit further and have Oracle clearly support this effort ? I think individual developers are scared to put their finger into the JCP : it's much easier to create a GitHub repository and create a new/funny logging framework than fill JSPA forms to become spec lead. If you think this Logging API JSR is important (inside Java EE 7 or not, that's not the issue now, but just to have a JSR), then it would encourage developers if you would publicly (blog ? tweet ?)  support the idea and encourage them to become spec lead. 
> > > > 
> > > > What do you think ? 
> > > > 
> > > > Antonio
> > > > 
> > > > On Fri, Sep 7, 2012 at 11:04 AM, Werner Keil <werner.keil_at_gmail.com (mailto:werner.keil_at_gmail.com)> wrote:
> > > > > ...will be, it hasn't happened yet, sorry. 
> > > > 
> > > > 
> > > > -- 
> > > > Antonio Goncalves 
> > > > Software architect and Java Champion
> > > > 
> > > > Web site (http://www.antoniogoncalves.org) | Twitter (http://twitter.com/agoncal) | LinkedIn (http://www.linkedin.com/in/agoncal) | Paris JUG (http://www.parisjug.org) | Devoxx France (http://www.devoxx.fr)
> > > 
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > -- 
> > Antonio Goncalves 
> > Software architect and Java Champion
> > 
> > Web site (http://www.antoniogoncalves.org) | Twitter (http://twitter.com/agoncal) | LinkedIn (http://www.linkedin.com/in/agoncal) | Paris JUG (http://www.parisjug.org) | Devoxx France (http://www.devoxx.fr)
>