[news.eclipse.platform.rcp] Re: UpdateManager vs. P2

[Laurent Marchal <lmarchal@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Roel De Nijs wrote:

> is the classic update manager going to disappear in one of the following 
> releases of eclipse? why should someone use the new p2-system if the 
> only thing he needs is an automatic update at startup?
I think (cause i'm not a p2 developper) that the old update manager is 
still there for backwards compatibility, especially because the 
feature's install handlers are not working with p2, and p2 switch to the 
old UM if you use install handlers.

I think you should not switch to p2 for now if you can use the old UM, 
because you will complicate your life for nothing.
Personnaly my RCP product will be in production soon, so i have to use 
this new system since it's the future update manager for RCP apps.

> if you want to adopt p2 and you have an update site the only thing you 
> have to do nothing, unless you want to eliminate the slowness, then you 
> have to launch the metadata generator. and then you can use the new p2 
> update functionality. but what are the steps to p2-enable your 
> application with plugins and/or features? i tried the tutorial made by 
> Kai T. (http://toedter.com/blog/?p=27) but when i'm supposed to use the 
> director app to install the app, i get some error. so if i can't 
> p2-enable a simple demo-app, it's no use to start trying it with our 
> application (i use Eclipse SDK, Version: 3.4.1, Build id: M20080911-1700)

I spend hours to get the p2 update system working (a little), and after 
all this stuff you still needs to put some preferences manually to get 
the whole system working : 
http://dev.eclipse.org/newslists/news.eclipse.technology.equinox/msg04841.html

So if you can : wait for eclipse 3.5, it appears to me that p2 was 
integrated into eclipse too early.

Consider also subscribing to eclipse.technology.equinox, there is a lot 
of buzz around p2 here !

Cheers

Laurent Marchal.