Eclipse (software)
| File:Eclipse-logo.png | |
 Screenshot of Eclipse 3.3 | |
| Developer(s) | Free and open source software community |
|---|---|
| Stable release | 3.6 Helios
/ June 23, 2010 |
| Preview release | 3.6M7
/ April 29, 2010 |
| Repository | |
| Written in | Java |
| Operating system | Linux, Mac, Windows, Opensolaris (Cross-platform) |
| Available in | Multilingual |
| Type | Software development |
| License | Eclipse Public License |
| Website | http://www.eclipse.org/ |
Eclipse is a multi-language software development environment comprising an integrated development environment (IDE) and an extensible plug-in system. It is written primarily in Java and can be used to develop applications in Java and, by means of various plug-ins, other languages including C, C++, COBOL, Python, Perl, PHP and Ruby on Rails. The IDE is often called Eclipse ADT for Ada, Eclipse CDT for C/C++, Eclipse JDT for Java and Eclipse PDT for PHP.
The initial codebase originated from VisualAge.[1] In its default form it is meant for Java developers, consisting of the Java Development Tools (JDT). Users can extend its capabilities by installing plug-ins written for the Eclipse software framework, such as development toolkits for other programming languages, and can write and contribute their own plug-in modules.
Released under the terms of the Eclipse Public License, Eclipse is free and open source software.
Architecture
Eclipse employs plug-ins in order to provide all of its functionality on top of (and including) the runtime system, in contrast to some other applications where functionality is typically hard coded. The runtime system of Eclipse is based on Equinox, an OSGi standard compliant implementation.
This plug-in mechanism is a lightweight software componentry framework. In addition to allowing Eclipse to be extended using other programming languages such as C and Python, the plug-in framework allows Eclipse to work with typesetting languages like LaTeX,[2] networking applications such as telnet, and database management systems. The plug-in architecture supports writing any desired extension to the environment, such as for configuration management. Java and CVS support is provided in the Eclipse SDK, with Subversion support provided by third-party plug-ins.
With the exception of a small run-time kernel, everything in Eclipse is a plug-in. This means that every plug-in developed integrates with Eclipse in exactly the same way as other plug-ins; in this respect, all features are created equal. Eclipse provides plug-ins for a wide variety of features, some of which are through third parties using both free and commercial models. Examples of plug-ins include a UML plug-in for Sequence and other UML diagrams, a plug-in for Database explorer, and many others.
The Eclipse SDK includes the Eclipse Java Development Tools (JDT), offering an IDE with a built-in incremental Java compiler and a full model of the Java source files. This allows for advanced refactoring techniques and code analysis. The IDE also makes use of a workspace, in this case a set of metadata over a flat filespace allowing external file modifications as long as the corresponding workspace "resource" is refreshed afterwards.
Eclipse's widgets are implemented by a widget toolkit for Java called SWT, unlike most Java applications, which use the Java standard Abstract Window Toolkit (AWT) or Swing. Eclipse's user interface also uses an intermediate GUI layer called JFace, which simplifies the construction of applications based on SWT.
Language packs provide translations into over a dozen natural languages.[3]
Rich Client Platform
Eclipse provides the Eclipse Rich Client Platform (RCP) for developing general purpose applications. The following components constitute the rich client platform:
- Equinox OSGi – a standard bundling framework
- Core platform – boot Eclipse, run plug-ins
- Standard Widget Toolkit (SWT) – a portable widget toolkit
- JFace – viewer classes to bring model view controller programming to SWT, file buffers, text handling, text editors
- Eclipse Workbench – views, editors, perspectives, wizards
History
Eclipse began as an IBM Canada project. It was developed by Object Technology International (OTI) as a Java-based replacement for the Smalltalk based VisualAge family of IDE products,[4] which itself had been developed by OTI.[1] In November 2001, a consortium was formed to further the development of Eclipse as open source. In January 2004, the Eclipse Foundation was created.[5]
Eclipse 3.0 (released on June 21, 2004) selected the OSGi Service Platform specifications as the runtime architecture.[6]
Eclipse was originally released under the Common Public License, but was later relicensed under the Eclipse Public License. The Free Software Foundation has said that both licenses are free software licenses, but are incompatible with the GNU General Public License (GPL).[7] Mike Milinkovich, of the Eclipse Foundation commented that moving to the GPL would be considered when version 3 of the GPL was released.[8]
According to Lee Nackman, Chief Technology Officer of IBM's Rational division at that time and later head of Rational software development and support, the name "Eclipse" was chosen to target Microsoft's Visual Studio product, and not Sun Microsystems.[9] Ironically, Nackman is now himself a Microsoft employee.[10]
Releases
Since 2006, the Eclipse Foundation has coordinated an annual Simultaneous Release. Each release includes the Eclipse Platform as well as a number of other Eclipse projects. Releases are named after the moons of the solar system. [11]
So far, each Simultaneous Release has occurred at the end of June.
| Release | Date | Platform version | Projects |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eclipse 3.0 | 28 June 2004 | 3.0 | |
| Eclipse 3.1 | 28 June 2005 | 3.1 | |
| Callisto | 30 June 2006 | 3.2 | Callisto projects |
| Europa | 29 June 2007 | 3.3 | Europa projects |
| Ganymede | 25 June 2008 | 3.4 | Ganymede projects |
| Galileo | 24 June 2009 | 3.5 | Galileo projects |
| Helios | 23 June 2010 | 3.6 | Helios projects |
| Indigo | June 2011 | 3.7 | Indigo projects |
See also
- Comparison of integrated development environments
- Comparison of integrated development environments for Java
- List of Eclipse-based software
- List of Eclipse projects
- Netbeans
References
- ^ a b "Where did Eclipse come from?". Eclipse Wiki. Retrieved 2008-03-16.
- ^ TeXlipse homepage – LaTeX for Eclipse
- ^ Eclipse Babel Project
- ^ Rick DeNatale (2008-10-15). "Will It Go Round in Circles?".
- ^ "About the Eclipse Foundation". The Eclipse Foundation. Retrieved 2008-08-13.
- ^ "OSGi — the footings of the foundation of the platform". The Eclipse Foundation. Retrieved 2008-06-25.
- ^ "Various Licenses and Comments about Them". Free Software Foundation. 2007-05-17. Retrieved 2007-05-20.
- ^ Peter Galli (2005-11-02). "Moglen: GPL 3.0 Rewrite Drive Is No Democracy". eWeek. Retrieved 2007-05-20.
- ^ Darryl K. Taft (2005-05-20). "Eclipse: Behind the Name". eWeek.com. Ziff Davis Enterprise Holdings. Retrieved 2008-08-11.
- ^ "Lee Nackman Microsoft Executive Profile". Retrieved 2010-04-30.
- ^ https://bugs.eclipse.org/bugs/show_bug.cgi?id=108146
Further reading
- OSGi Service Platform, Release 3, IOS Press, ISBN 1-58603-311-5
- OSGi Specification Download
- How to develop an Eclipse RCP application
- How to develop an Eclipse Plug-in Part 1
- How to develop an Eclipse Plug-in Part 2
- How to Configure Eclipse with tomcat ?(with screen shot)
External links
