Re: [ide-dev] Fixing the Target platform editor

[Aleksandar Kurtakov <akurtako@xxxxxxxxxx>]

----- Original Message -----
> From: "Tracy Miranda" <tracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> To: "Discussions about the IDE" <ide-dev@xxxxxxxxxxx>
> Sent: Tuesday, 22 November, 2016 2:47:26 PM
> Subject: [ide-dev] Fixing the Target platform editor
> 
> Hi all,
> 
> OK, so we all know the target platform editor is a piece of s@*! that we have
> all learnt to workaround but is a big gaping chasm for new users, so much so
> at the ECE hackathon we have to start off by warning everyone about it...
> 
> So today I saw the tweet from Sopot about a new target platform file text
> editor[1]. So it's great someone is looking to solve this, but I wanted to
> question whether it is more worthwhile pursuing integrating the TPD editor
> into Eclipse? The TPD editor AFAIK is the solution that has been mostly
> widely adopted to solve target issues.

If TPD is redone without bringing bootstrapping issue it's fine to go into PDE. Anyone up for doing that?
The other option is someone to signs for doing the tedious releng work from now on to keep fighting yet another bootstrapping issue. I can assure you that the former option is way cheaper than the later from my POV.

> 
> Otherwise we end up with yet-another-target editor, I'm counting 4 so far:
> 1. old horrible buggy one
> 2. TPD editor
> 3. one in Ooomph
> 4. new one to come from RedHat

4. is not presented correctly. This will be a text editor in the place where it belongs (PDE) using the technologies available at that layer in order to not be disruptive by adding dozens of new dependencies. This is a step in the right direction both from practical (every PDE user will have it without chasing additional plugins) and technology (no additional burden for releng and constant chasing due to bootstrapping issues) POV. How/if this evolves further than an editor is based on community input and help.
The reason to have so many editors is due to the fact that implementing a feature at a lower level where it benefits more(most?) users requires a lot more effort to get it right in a non disruptive way and too many people decide to just take a shortcut. Until we(Eclipse community) start fixing issues in their respective place we will not achieve much as this simply brings technical debt to a more and more unmanageable level. 




> 
> Maybe others have already been through this loop [2], but I'm wondering if
> this is something that needs widescale community co-ordination rather than a
> new technical solution?
> 
> Tracy
> 
> [1] https://twitter.com/smcela/status/801020020549681152
> [2] https://bugs.eclipse.org/bugs/show_bug.cgi?id=500316
> 
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-- 
Alexander Kurtakov
Red Hat Eclipse team