Consider switching to an existing Gerrit REST API client library

[sschuberth]

Instead of issuing SSH calls, it would be more portable and future-proof to use Gerrit's REST API instead. At least two serious libraries already exist, gerrit-rest-java-client and org.eclipse.egerrit.core. It's probably a good idea to look at these and take either one into use.

[chrisinmtown]

Would switching to a client library allow anonymous query of a gerrit server? For example all the gerrit servers in Linux Foundation projects support anonymous access via https to the REST API, but none allow ssh access to that same API. If switching adds that feature, then I vote +1.