Re: [cross-project-issues-dev] 2019-12: The Eclipse Eierlegende Wollmilc

[Ed Willink <ed@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi Mickael

I think you forget why SimRel started and so overlook its major utility.

Pre-SimRel, it was hard to know what version of what worked with what requiring users of multiple tools to maintain distinct Eclipses for distinct application domains.

Post-SimRel there is a pretty good chance that everything that comes from the one SimRel is compatible.

Personally, I don't use the EPPs, I download the ZIPs for those projects that provide them and install piecemeal using SimRel as a 'library' of bits that I failed/cannot get from ZIP. As such SimRel is almost just an Orbit variant, but it usually avoids needing to add Orbit to the available sites. And Orbit gives no guarantee of coherence, which SimRel does.

I only use the MarketPlace as a last resort or as an occasional quick check on OCL utility that has somehow got into the MarketPlace as well as SimRel.

    Regards

        Ed Willink

On 10/12/2019 09:05, Mickael Istria wrote:

Hi Ed,

Thanks for bringing this.

I was actually waiting for the best opportunity to start discussing a very related topic, but from a maintenance POV not a user one, and I think this is a good one:

*What is the value and quality of SimRel? Is it worth it's cost?*

As you're highlighting, the actual SimRel doesn't result in good "common" toolset. Installing whole SimRel leads to a failing or non-usable IDE. So is this non-functional thing worth it?

EPP packages behave fine, they're tested and delivered to the target audience in a good enough shape. Marketplace is now the main and best entry-point for many features and fits much better into typical user workflows

Does SimRel bring anything really good beyond EPP packages? Anything good enough to be worth the maintenance effort?

Is it an interesting exercise to expect all Eclipse Platform plugins in the Eclipse Foundation to work properly together as the same application? Who is actually likely to invest in making their specific plugins fit better with all other Eclipse plugins if the typical audience doesn't care?

My opinion on this is that SimRel is nowadays a giant hard to maintain inconsistent effort, and that EPP and Marketplace have superseded it and made it not so profitable anymore.

I would suggest that we just abandon SimRel in favor of EPP building packages and a p2 repository containing all the dependencies for these packages; and other plugins should just target Marketplace as entry point, until they reach a good enough quality and value to get into some EPP package.

Cheers,

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