The PDE team has given RCP developers some great new features in Eclipse 3.5. It’s now much easier to create and manage target platforms for Eclipse RCP applications. In this post, I’ll outline one simple workflow that should work in most cases. But first, if you’re interested in what a target platform is or why… Continue reading Creating an Eclipse RCP target platform
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What is a modular application, anyway?
What does the term application mean in the context of modular software development (and OSGi in particular). It seems to me that the concept of an application starts to break down. For instance, is an OSGi application just the set of bundles known to the framework? Well, here’s my take on what a modular application… Continue reading What is a modular application, anyway?
Renaming Eclipse RCP – Vote now!
It’s been three months since my post requesting that we rename Eclipse RCP and we’ve received many ideas from the Eclipse community. Now it’s time to narrow down the list by voting for the names you like best. I want to make it clear that while this poll will help to narrow down the list,… Continue reading Renaming Eclipse RCP – Vote now!
Software is like a bowl full of jello
It’s Friday afternoon and I’m in a contemplative mood. For some reason, I’ve been thinking about my first manager, who I wasn’t very fond of at the time. I’m sure I was a real pain in his backside as well, being a fresh-out-of-college know-it-all. One of the things that drove me nuts about him was… Continue reading Software is like a bowl full of jello
Adding Eclipse IDE menu options to your RCP applications
Note: The post below is actually incorrect, which is a good thing in my opinion. It is indeed possible to use the command framework to add the standard Eclipse IDE menu options. Rather than take down the post, which I think is unethical, please read the post and then the note at the end for… Continue reading Adding Eclipse IDE menu options to your RCP applications
Book Review: Practical Eclipse Rich Client Platform Projects
There aren’t many books available about the Eclipse Rich Client Platform. One reason for this, I think, is that it’s a difficult subject to cover effectively. Eclipse RCP is less a coherent framework than an aggregation of related technologies, and this can make it difficult to describe. As someone who has worked hard to craft… Continue reading Book Review: Practical Eclipse Rich Client Platform Projects
Introducing Modular Mind
My personal journey with the Eclipse Rich Client Platform began 6 years ago. I was starting work on a financial analysis application, and was looking for a cross-platform framework to build upon. Eclipse was my IDE, and I began to see some interesting Bugzilla entries that pointed me to what would become Eclipse RCP. Like… Continue reading Introducing Modular Mind
Renaming Eclipse RCP – Update
It’s been two months since my post requesting that we rename Eclipse RCP, and I thought it was time to provide a progress update. The response has been overwhelmingly positive. Check out the comments on the original post as well as the discussion associated with the Bugzilla entry, and you’ll see what I mean. So… Continue reading Renaming Eclipse RCP – Update
Logging RCP applications with Pax Logging
Adding logging to an RCP application has always been painful. Developers have struggled with the best way to incorporate Log4J and other logging APIs, and in particular with how to make configuration files accessible. Some have chosen to use buddy classloading, others have utilized fragments containing the config files. Pax Logging to the rescue I’m… Continue reading Logging RCP applications with Pax Logging
Configuring RCP applications with Pax ConfMan
Most applications require configuration settings. Applications are often deployed in multiple environments (dev, test, prod, etc) and these environments often require different runtime configurations. Also, it’s useful to be able to update an application configuration without a restart. If you find yourself with requirements like these for your Eclipse RCP application, you should really check… Continue reading Configuring RCP applications with Pax ConfMan