Delivered-To: cgu@qos.ch
From: "John Munsch" <jmunsch@pdxinc.com>
To: <java-logging-input@eng.sun.com>
Cc: <cgu@qos.ch>
Subject: I'm not a big letter writer, but...
Date: Wed, 13 Jun 2001 11:04:42 -0500
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I would be hard pressed to find any logging system better than the one in Log4J. I used it at a previous employer and just managed today to convince my new employer that it should replace a proprietary system they paid to have built that wasn’t serving them well.

 

Putting Log4J into JDK1.4 is a decision that I have a hard time believing anyone would ever regret. It is truly easy to use, has a lot of flexibility, and an official Sun stamp of approval along with their careful improvements to the code would only benefit end users like me. Any system that doesn’t offer as much functionality, flexibility and ease of use as Log4J is, I think, an unfortunate choice.

 

While I cannot speak to all the points raised in a recent comparison of Log4J to JSR47 I can speak to two in particular:

-         Functionality: the wide set of appenders that come standard with Log4J has been a big selling point everywhere I’ve used it. Even if we do not use all of the appenders, it’s not hard to imagine customers of ours who will be interested in using some of the additional ones provided (i.e. NT event logging or Unix Syslog).

-         Levels: I can vouch for having arguments about how to use the five simple levels in Log4J between myself and just one other programmer (not loud shouting type arguments, but serious disagreements over when each should be used). Adding additional levels was the last thing on our minds and I believe really unneeded for most projects. I don’t think ALL, OFF, FINE, FINER and FINEST really add anything to the party, BUT, if they were deemed important they could easily be added to the existing Log4J system when it was folded into the JDK1.4.

 

Thanks,

John Munsch

 

Note: I am not acting in any official capacity for my employer, but rather just giving my two cents as a Java developer with experience using an excellent API.