I only know that Maven can be used to manage software projects, just this. I quickly read the official documentation on maven.apache.org and some refresses. I just didn't feel anything when I just saw User Guide. I didn't have a resonance with existing knowledge.
Until this article on Serverside MAVEN MAGIC is really sensible to the purpose and use of Maven. This is the Big Picture I want. Especially the comparison of Maven and Ant, very image. Another article is Maven Makes IT Easy from IBM, but also Maven Versus Ant, is another style.
Serverside is the site I have always liked, huh, huh. Srikanth should be an Indian and an old print. Why "and"? !