It was really a sad affair when I learnt recently that Pivotal (sole sponsor of Grails) is withdrawing sponsorship of the Grails core developers at the end of March 2015. So this must have already happened just within a week ago.
Nearly two years ago, when I found Grails through a friend, I immediately embarked on this MVC framework and without a doubt I was up and running in a couple of weeks. Groovy, the language upon which Grails is based, is a blast and I have come to love every bit of it.
Just under two years, I have developed over ten applications in Grails; I have invested so much time in customizing the templates and logic in an effort to attain generalizability. Whenever I get a new application request, I simply construct the domain class and then I scaffold - and that's it. A running application in a matter of hours or days!!! Ordinarily, some developers have taken months and months on end before a running application is in place.
My catchphrase for Grails has become "Rapid Application Development re-defined, right here". Now, are we heading to hell with the end of Pivotal sponsorship of Grails? I have read a lot of views by Grails supporters and there is a thinking that when one door closes, another opens. Is it possible that Grails will only get stronger and stronger? I think time will tell, but my optimism is as strong as those of the majority of Grails fans.
In the worst case scenario (which I believe is highly unlikely), I will plan to revert to Ruby on Rails or Django. The former is based on Ruby language and the latter on Python. I have already explored both and I can say with confidence that I will be able to develop enterprise-level apps in a couple of weeks using either framework.
I am entirely new to Ruby but programming is programming so it should be achievable with a not-so-steep learning curve.
I already do a lot of programming in Python, so adapting to Django should be easy sailing - although Django does not exactly seem to obey the rules of MVC. There is no C in Django, and instead the C resides in the V. For the last two days I have concentrated on learning Django and I am even contemplating doing my next app in Django, notwithstanding the lack of C in Django. Nonetheless, Django so far has some really cool features.
My investment in Grails over the last nearly two years will be a great asset during any migration to another MVC framework, in the rare event that it will be necessary to migrate. The investment is absolutely not in vain.
Meanwhile my best prayers for new sponsorship for the Grails core development team. I understand that even if sponsorship is not forthcoming, Grails can still survive through many other available options, even in hibernation mode. Like many Grails supporters have said, I personally would not feel a pinch offering a token (e.g. USD 100 or 200 or even 500 per year) for Grails developers if this can support continuity. If each of the thousands of Grails supporters does so, I believe that the Grails developers would have some bread to survive on. Good luck Grails!