Groovy 2.0 is a crucial evolution in this widely used language and, being all about features first, we want Fedora to be the place to run it.

The 2.0 update is significant because it introduces a static typing mode, allowing it to cater to both the dynamic language crowd as well as the traditional Java crowd.

Of course, the big question for Fedora is backwards compatibility. Groovy 2.0 claims to be backwards compatible with 1.8. Hamlet D'Arcy had this to say on the topic in an abstract for an article on Groovy 2.0 in NFJS, The Magazine [1]:

"Don’t worry, the major release is backwards compatible with previous Groovies. The 2.0 increment is earned because of the size and scope of its biggest features: modularization, invoke dynamic support, and most importantly an upgrade to the static type system. Groovy 2.0 will contain a static type checker which validates your code as part of the compiler, similar to what you’re familiar with from Java. The final class files and bytecode produced is still the same as before, but with this feature you have the safety you expect from Java with the conciseness and expressiveness of Groovy."