[ninju]

For a simple HelloWorld or a PoC development a flat list of .java files would work, but once you go past that (20+ files or so) a standardized directory structure is an important element of managing the complexity.

And using the JAVA ecosystem standard makes it easier for fellow/future developers to continue the support and expansion

[no_wizard]

you don't have to buck conventions, as much as allowing for alternate ones, is all.

There's room for a reasonable alternative that chops the directory structures into more reasonable nesting, for instance.

[unlikelytomato]

What is the proposed alternative exactly? I like main vs test. I like isolating java files from other languages or templates. I like the src directory bucketing sources from other root project build files and output artifacts. I have a ton of wishes for java improvements but this is functionally not an issue in day to day work.