Forge is pretty darn cool.  If you haven't had a chance to play with it yet, it's basically a command-line framework for creating applications.  There are a couple things I really like about Forge.  First, it's quite pluggable, so it's easy for developers to create new tooling that integrates seamlessly with the Forge environment.  Second, it dramatically speeds up the process of creating a new application for users.  I used to use Maven archetypes quite a bit to create new applications from a template definition.  The one drawback with this approach is that the new application is static - you only get what you created from the template.  Forge allows you to add behavior and functionality to an application after it's created - stuff like project dependencies, configuration and code generation.  We use Forge quite a bit within SwitchYard, so I thought it would be interesting to share an example of how Forge can be used when creating SwitchYard applications. 

 

Check out the video and let us know what you think.  Musical accompaniment appears to be a requirement for Forge videos, so I've added a classic tune to the audio track on the vid.

 

BTW, I recommend watching the video in HD and full-screen mode so that you can actually see what's going on. :-)  Click here for a direct link to the HD version.