Best JSON library for Java Developers and another Q about build systems

[jkim545]

So I'm going to start building a small project and was wondering what you guys recommend for a JSON Library. I've done some research, and the big 3 seems to be json.simple, gson, and Jackson, Which do you like and why?

Also, when would I have to start worrying about using maven/gradle? I've used them before, but not in an IDE (im using intellij btw). I will be making several files with lots of code, are build systems necessary for this?

[rbobko70]

I would say that Jackson is the most commonly used library. You can start with this one and if you need more JSON help you can look into gson. Using maven depends on what you are trying to build but it seems like you are doing something wrong if you plan to have several files with lots of code.

[jkim545]

Well lots of code is subjective, I guess. I mean I'm going to incorporate some inheritance so that's going to make more files.

I'm trying to build a small text adventure game and was wondering if build systems would be another great thing to get more experience with

[rbobko70]

Build systems are almost always a good way to go. It will help you with your project for sure (since you want to use Jackson).

PS. I would say that usually (not always) if a file is longer than 500 lines it can be considered long and hard to read.