Some of us don't care for XML as programming language syntax.
I've used Ant, Maven, and Gradle, and Ant is the only one that's never given me a minute's trouble. But it's true that it has a bad reputation. It feels harder to use when everything is working right.
Agreed, find errors in Ant scripts is a pleasure compared with piles of Maven plugin errors.
Ant's one of those "seldom skills". You set it up in the beginning and then tweak a little bit. Yes it works, it's fine. I just find it funny that it hasn't changed or evolved in a long time. I just keep taking my old examples and tweaking them. It's weird.
Agreed, ant is solid, the build system makes sense and is clearly laid out.