2017 Candidate:
Torkild Ulvøy Resheim

Starting with the Java IDE, Eclipse has become one of the best places for cooperating on developing open source software. A rich ecosystem has evolved, including everything from advanced tools to basic libraries. When I first started out building on the Eclipse Platform twelve years ago, I was awed by the excellent quality of code, the welcoming community and how well organised everything was. I would like many others to share that experience.

If elected as a sustaining member representative I would like to:

Advance the use of Eclipse technologies, particularly in scientific and industrial applications, where a diverse collection of our APIs is already suitably used.

Support the Science Working Group to become a leading place for developing scientific software libraries by welcoming new projects and facilitate cooperation with the rest of the Eclipse community.

Make Eclipse binaries consumable for the world. There is an increasing number of projects not related to the Platform or derived solutions. These should be easily available to those without the Eclipse know-how. Examples are Mylyn Docs and January.

Improve on infrastructure. While there is work in progress to upgrade Eclipse Foundation infrastructure, I believe more can be done. We need a good quality service for all our users.

Improve the Eclipse Platform – which is such an important part of all the various IDEs built on top. Not forgetting about RCP, which many companies are basing their products on. That alone should be a good reason for sponsoring development.

Encourage and support new projects. Eclipse Che has created quite stir in the IDE marketplace, the ever-increasing number of Eclipse IoT projects is helping form a connected devices world, and the Eclipse C/C++ IDE for Arduino has bridged the gap between the very basic Arduino IDE and a professional tool. Just to mention a few examples. The Eclipse Foundation must continue to encourage and support such efforts.

Take care of committers and community. It should be easy and fun to work with Foundation tools and use infrastructure such as Git, HIPP and Bugzilla. Providing excellent service and lowering the bar will also encourage outside contributions. Developing the community also means being open and inclusive towards all; regardless of religion, colour, culture or gender. This is something I would like the Eclipse Community to become famously known for.

I have a background from electronics, but started on the path to become a software engineer at the Trondheim College of Engineering (now NTNU) in 1994. I have built on the Eclipse Platform since 2004, and have as a contractor and consultant, helped companies use various Eclipse technologies for more than a decade. Most of this time I have spent developing industrial solutions for the semiconductor and marine/offshore sectors.

I work for and is a part owner of Itema, a small software consultancy with 21 dedicated engineers and three equally dedicated managers. We do everything from prize winning web sites to marine operations simulation tools and handheld games. Since we’re based in Trondheim, Norway, a university city with around 33,500 students, half of those with a STEM curriculum, it is only natural that we do most of our work with technology companies. Many of which are spin-offs from the university, and SINTEF, the largest independent research organisation in Scandinavia.

I founded the Trondheim Eclipse User Group in 2013 and have with Itema hosted an Eclipse DemoCamp for the past six years. Somehow it has turned into a science software demo-camp, with a few presentations unrelated to Eclipse each time. As a result we have also been attracting developers and scientists not normally using Eclipse – we plan to continue spreading the word.

I can be reached on Twitter using the @torkildr handle.