Maven sucks, yes. But, right now, Maven is the best solution for Java projects. This is why: If you use it right you end up with 1 source of truth for your bui

Maven sucks, yes. But, right now, Maven is the best solution for Java projects. This is why: If you use it right you end up with 1 source of truth for your build. Most Java IDEs support maven as a project model, and therefore you don't have to maintain two separate builds: one for the IDE and one for the build system--something that always leads to integration pain. Ant as a tool isn't capable of this, since it doesn't really represent an project object model. Certainly IDEs can invoke Ant targets, but their non-standard nature make tight integration with the IDE hard, if not impossible. There are several things that Maven could do to make the experience better. I suspect many of them will be addressed in 3.0; however, Maven as an experience has always sucked and I suspect will always suck. The broad based acceptance of the tool will give it a certain inertia that is likely going to be hard to overcome.