Gradle's unconstrained and unstructured scripts are a major step downward compared to the predictable XML of Ant and Maven. For example, I have a very standard

Gradle's unconstrained and unstructured scripts are a major step downward compared to the predictable XML of Ant and Maven. For example, I have a very standard "build.gradle" for a React Native app that, in about 60 lines, - defines debug, release etc. build variants - sets SDK versions (to values from elsewhere) - contains passwords in plain text (for Java key stores) - sets the name of the app - conditionally chooses arcane linking instructions - includes freshly downloaded stuff from node_modules It's a classic instance of "they were so excited that they could, that they didn't stop to think whether they should".