[udig-devel] Re: [udig-users] uDig 1.1 RC14 available FOR TESTING

[Dave S-B]

I think that, if I'm developing plugins to be deployed in the uDig 
platform, then the easiest way of working is with a full uDig platform 
as my target (so, an SDK with all the platform plugins). As you say, 
managing plugin versions is an issue, so it's easier to work with a full 
target and know that the plugin you're writing will have all the right 
uDig dependencies when it gets deployed.

If  I'm developing an RCP application, then I'd prefer to just add uDig 
plugins to my own chosen base platform and have the responsibility of 
making sure that the versions of plugins which uDig is dependant on are 
compatible. That way I should be able to choose to use newer platform 
plugin versions, so long as they are backwards-compatible with the ones 
uDig needs.

I expect you're right about beginning users - they would have to have a 
compatible base platform before adding the uDig plugins. With the 
existing SDK, I can do both of the options above by adding in the uDig 
SDK to my base RCP platform then selectively checking/un-checking 
platform plugins in either the uDig SDK or the RCP platform. It's not 
fun to do, but you only have to do it once! I'm not sure there's any way 
round it though...

andrea antonello wrote:
> I don't think it is a great idea to have an sdk to be added to your
> target platform, I prefer the version that IS the target platform. If
> the versions are not exactly in sync, there are huge maintenance
> nightmares. This is the reason I stopped exporting from the svn
> version of udig. I was using my own eclipse version and keeping it
> always uptodate and there has been lots of big spaghetti incidents.
> Beginning users will experience troubles.
>
> I think the sdk should have a ruling version of the used libraries. We
> of JGrass already have some extra eclipse plugins we need because of
> the console stuff and I have to be very carefull in keeping everything
> in sync.
>
> What do you think?
>
> Ciao
> Andrea
>