Further to the PMC call
this morning, here’s the
initial draft of the BIRT 2.1 plan. We expect to add a number of
projects to
this plan over time, but this is an initial list of projects. The goal
is to
upload this on to the site tomorrow. Please provide me with feedback.
Thanks!
BIRT Project DRAFT 2.1 Plan
Last revised January 27, 2006
Introduction
This document lays out the feature and API set for the next
feature
release of the Eclipse BIRT project after 2.0, designated release 2.1.
Plans do not materialize out of nowhere, nor are they entirely
static. To
ensure the planning process is transparent and open to the entire
Eclipse
community, plans are posted in an embryonic form and then revised from
time
to time throughout the release cycle.
The first part of the plan deals with the important matters of
release
deliverables, release milestones, target operating environments, and
release-to-release compatibility. These are all things that need to be
clear
for any release, even if no features were to change.
The remainder of the plan consists of plan items for the projects
under
the Eclipse BIRT project. Each plan item covers a feature or API that
is to
be added, or some aspect that is to be improved. Each plan item has its
own
entry in the Eclipse bugzilla database, with a title and a concise
summary
(usually a single paragraph) that explains the work item at a suitably
high
enough level so that everyone can readily understand what the work item
is
without having to understand the nitty-gritty detail.
Please send comments about this draft plan to the BIRT Developer mailing list.
Release deliverables
The release deliverables are:
- Source code release for Eclipse BIRT, available as versions
tagged "R2.1" in the eclipse.org CVS repository.
- Eclipse BIRT Report Framework 2.1
- Eclipse BIRT RCP Report Designer 2.1
- Eclipse BIRT Runtime 2.1
- Eclipse BIRT Charts 2.1
- Eclipse BIRT Test Suites 2.1
Release milestones
The Eclipse BIRT 2.1 release milestones will be synchronized with
the
Eclipse Callisto simultaneous release. The first BIRT 2.1 milestone
will be
designated M5 in order to synchronize with the Callisto simultaneus
release
numbering. All release deliverables will be available for download as
soon as
the release has been tested and validated in the target operating
configurations listed below.
Release milestones:
- Friday, March 3, 2006 BIRT 2.1 M5
- Friday, April 7, 2006 BIRT 2.1 Release Candidate 0
- Friday, April 14, 2006 BIRT 2.1 Release Candidate 1
- Friday, April 28, 2006 BIRT 2.1 Release Candidate 2
- Friday, May 12, 2006 BIRT 2.1 Release Candidate 3
- Friday, May 26, 2006 BIRT 2.1 Release Candidate 4
- Friday, June 16, 2006 BIRT 2.1 Release Candidate 5
- Wednesday, June 28, 2006 BIRT 2.1 Release Candidate 6
Our target is to complete and release BIRT 2.1 with the Callisto
simultaneous
release, currently targeted for late June 2006.
For information about new features assigned to each milestone
please refer
to the bugzilla database.
The
bugzilla database will be updated on an ongoing basis as the plan
progresses.
Target Operating
Environments
In order to remain current, each release of an Eclipse project
targets
reasonably current versions of underlying operating environments and
other
Eclipse projects on which it depends.
Most of Eclipse, and all of BIRT, is “pure” Java™ code and has no
direct
dependence on the underlying operating system. For BIRT, the chief
dependence
is on the Eclipse Platform, Graphical Editor Framework (GEF), Modeling
Framework (EMF), and on the Java 2 Platform that runs it.
The Eclipse BIRT 2.1 release depends on the following
compatibility
stack:
BIRT 2.1 Reference Stack for Eclipse 3.2
- Java 2 platform Java Development Kit (JDK) 1.4.2
- Eclipse Platform Runtime Binary 3.2
- Graphical Editor Framework (GEF) Runtime 3.2
- Eclipse Modeling Framework (EMF) 2.2
The Eclipse Platform and BIRT run in a variety of operating
environments.
Testing is focused on a handful of popular
For BIRT 2.1, the project team plans to tests and validate the
following
reference platforms:
|
Eclipse BIRT Report
Framework 2.1 and Eclipse BIRT RCP Report Designer 2.1 Reference
Platforms
|
| Operating system |
Processor architecture |
Window system |
Java 2 Platform |
| Microsoft Windows XP |
Intel x86 |
Win32 |
Sun Java 2 Standard Edition, version 1.4.2,
version 5.0 |
| Microsoft Windows 2000 |
Intel x86 |
Win32 |
Sun Java 2 Standard Edition, version 1.4.2,
version 5.0 |
| Microsoft Windows Server 2003 |
Intel x86 |
Win32 |
Sun Java 2 Standard Edition, version 1.4.2,
version 5.0 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux WS 3.0 |
Intel x86 |
GTK |
Sun Java 2 Standard Edition, version 1.4.2 |
|
Eclipse BIRT Runtime
2.1 and Eclipse BIRT Charts 2.1 Reference Platforms
|
| Operating system |
Processor architecture |
Window system |
Java 2 Platform |
| Microsoft Windows XP |
Intel x86 |
Win32* |
Sun Java 2 Standard Edition, version 1.4.2 |
| Microsoft Windows XP |
Intel x86 |
Win32* |
IBM SDK 1.4.2 |
| Microsoft Windows Server 2003 |
Intel x86 |
Win32* |
Sun Java 2 Standard Edition, version 1.4.2 |
| Microsoft Windows Server 2003 |
Intel x86 |
Win32* |
IBM SDK 1.4.2 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux WS 3.0 |
Intel x86 |
GTK* |
Sun Java 2 Standard Edition, version 1.4.2,
BlackDown SDK 1.4.2 |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 |
Intel x86 |
YaST* |
Sun Java 2 Standard Edition, version 1.4.2,
BlackDown SDK 1.4.2 |
*Window system only required when displaying charts within SWT or SWING
windows.
|
BIRT Application
Server Reference Platform
|
| Apache Tomcat 4.1.x, 5.5.x |
| JBoss AS 4.0.2 |
|
BIRT JDBC Reference
Platforms
|
| MySQL Connector/J 3.x JDBC driver |
| Derby V5.1 JDBC driver |
|
BIRT Browsers and
Viewers Reference Platforms
|
| Mozilla Firefox 1.0 |
| Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 |
| Adobe Acrobat Reader 7.0 |
Internationalization
Eclipse is designed as the basis for internationalized products.
The user
interface elements provided by the various Eclipse projects, including
dialogs and error messages, are externalized. The English strings for
BIRT
are provided as the default resource bundles. Translations are provided
with
this release for French (fr_FR), German (de_DE), Spanish (es_ES),
Japanese
(ja_JP), Simplified Chinese (zh_CN), and Korean (ko_KR).
Compatibility with Previous Releases
BIRT 2.1 will be compatible with earlier versions of BIRT to the
greatest
extent possible. The nature and scope of some of the key plan items for
BIRT
2.1 are such that the only feasible solutions might break
compatibility. In
other regards, BIRT 2.1 will be compatible with 2.0 and 1.x. We also
aim to
minimize the effort required to port an existing plug-in to the 2.1
APIs.
Compatibility of Release 2.1 with 2.0 and 1.x
BIRT 2.1 will be compatible with BIRT 2.0 and 1.x unless noted.
The
detailed compatibility statement is listed below. In this statement,
"BIRT"
refers to all BIRT components: BIRT Report Framework, BIRT Runtime, and
BIRT
Chart SDK.
API Contract Compatibility: BIRT 2.1 will be upwards
contract-compatible with BIRT 2.0 and 1.x to the greatest extent
possible.
All incompatibility exceptions will be documented. Downward contract
compatibility is not supported. There is no guarantee that compliance
with
BIRT 2.1 APIs will ensure compliance with BIRT 2.0 or 1.x APIs. Refer
to
general Eclipse document on Evolving
APIs for a discussion of the kinds of API changes that maintain
contract
compatibility.
The BIRT Chart UI API v2.1 is compatible with the v2.0 API but not
compatible with the v1.x APIs due to a full redesign of the Chart UI in
the
BIRT 2.0 release.
Binary (plug-in) Compatibility: The BIRT 2.1 plug-in
framework will
be upwards binary-compatible with BIRT 2.0 and 1.x plug-ins to the
greatest
extent possible. Downward plug-in compatibility is not supported.
Plug-ins
for BIRT 2.1 will not be usable in BIRT 2.0 or 1.x. Extension plug-ins
for
BIRT 2.0 and 1.x will be upwards binary-compatible with BIRT 2.1.
Source Compatibility: BIRT 2.1 will be upwards
source-compatible
with BIRT 2.0 and 1.x to the greatest extent possible. This means that
source
files written to use BIRT 2.0 or 1.x APIs will successfully compile and
run
against BIRT 2.1 APIs. Downward source compatibility is not supported.
If
source files use new BIRT APIs, they will not be usable with an earlier
version of BIRT.
Report Design Compatibility:BIRT 2.1 will be upwards report
design
compatible with BIRT 2.0 and 1.x unless noted. This means that reports
created with BIRT 2.0 or 1.x can be successfully opened by BIRT 2.1 and
upgraded to a 2.1 format.
Non-compliant usage of API's: All non-API methods and
classes, and
certainly everything in a package with "internal" in its name, are
considered
implementation details which may vary between operating environment and
are
subject to change without notice. Client plug-ins that directly depend
on
anything other than what is specified in the BIRT API are inherently
unsupportable and receive no guarantees about compatibility within a
single
release much less with an earlier releases.
Continuing on the themes for previous releases of BIRT, the BIRT
project's
overriding release 2.1 theme remains extending the Eclipse platform to
provide infrastructure and tools that allow application developers to
design,
deploy, generate and view reports within their applications. In this
context,
the BIRT project also adopts and supports key themes within the overall
Eclipse planning process.
- Scaling up and Enterprise Ready The Eclipse platform 3.2
continues to improve on scalability and readiness for the enterprise.
BIRT 2.1 leverages the support that 3.2 provides by ensuring that it is
tested and it supports Eclipse 3.2.
- Simple to Use - BIRT 2.1 includes ease of use
enhancements such as improvements to the distribution and installation
of BIRT. Additionally, BIRT 2.1 continues to provide the RCP based
report designer which is targeted at the report developer.
- Appeal to a Broader Community - BIRT 2.1 will broaden
the appeal of BIRT by its integration with the Eclipse Callisto
simultaneous release.
Project planning is still under way for BIRT 2.1 and this plan
will be
updated in the coming weeks to add new projects as they are identified.
Projects already identified are:
Integration with Eclipse Callisto Simultaneous Release
The goal of the Callisto Simultaneous Release is to release ten major
Eclipse projects at the same time to support the needs of the ecosystem
members who integrate Eclipse frameworks into their own software and
products. Callisto is about developers helping developers serve the
whole Eclipse community. [Theme: Appeal to a Broader Community]
Provide support for the Eclipse 3.2 Platform The BIRT 2.1
release will be tested on the Eclipse 3.2 Platform Release. [Theme:
Scaling up and Enterprise Ready]
Improve distribution and installation of BIRT Users of
BIRT, especially new users, can sometimes be overwhelmed by the
complexity of the installation of BIRT and all the components that it
depends on. This project aims to improve the end user experience of
downloading and installing BIRT and all of its related components.
[Theme: Simple to Use]
ICU4J Integration Integrating the International
Components for Unicode for Java will enable BIRT 2.1 to work with text
in any language for any place in the world. ICU4J continues to extend
Java's Unicode and internationalization support, improving performance,
staying current with the Unicode standard, and providing richer APIs,
while remaining as compatible as possible with the original Java text
and internationalization API design. [Theme: Appeal to a Broader
Community]
BIRT 2.1 will address defects reported by project members and the
community.
The list
of defects targeted for resolution in BIRT 2.1 can be found in the
bugzilla database on https://bugs.eclipse.org/bugs.
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