If going down this route, I'd probably look into using Kotlin with dropwizard, rather than Java. Maybe it's just me, but the amount of code you have to write in Java that really should be auto-generated (and often is, by an IDE) is absurd.
I've not toyed extensively with Kotlin yet, but so far it does look like a "modern Java done right". Most of the code you don't actually need to write, or read -- like getters and setters that just get and set.
And it's close enough to plain Java that there's little overhead, and not a whole new language -- like with Scala, or Clojure.
Yes! Kotlin and Ceylon are both really interesting, as attempts to judiciously add and remove features to/from Java, to produce something recognisable, and easy for the unwashed masses (ie me) to pick up, but still much better.
My only concern is that they don't have much depth of community or history yet. That can be a very interesting and rewarding time to pick up a language, but it can also be a drag on actually getting things done.
True. Then again, that code that your IDE generated for 10 year old Java doesn't really have a community that refreshes it either, and it sits there in your VCS, and takes up space in code reviews etc.
I've not toyed extensively with Kotlin yet, but so far it does look like a "modern Java done right". Most of the code you don't actually need to write, or read -- like getters and setters that just get and set.
And it's close enough to plain Java that there's little overhead, and not a whole new language -- like with Scala, or Clojure.