[dtp-dev] Update on M2 build status

[jograham@xxxxxxxxxx]

I'd like to take a moment to inform the community about the current status
of the M2 build. There are a number of problems that remain before we can
get a build that supports Eclipse 3.1 and 3.2M4, but fortunately these are
centered on the new Eclipse Extensible Navigator framework introduced in
Eclipse 3.2M3. Plug-ins that depend on this framework:

> org.eclipse.datatools.connectivity.sqm.server.ui
> org.eclipse.datatools.connectivity.ui
> org.eclipse.datatools.connectivity.dse

require a "compatibility pack" to build and load under Eclipse 3.1. This
"compatibility pack" consists of the two Eclipse Extensible Navigator
plug-ins (org.eclipse.ui.navigator, org.eclipse.ui.navigator.resources),
with slightly tweaked manifest files, and one additional DTP plug-in to add
a missing platform class. With this compatibility pack loaded in Eclipse
3.1, then these plug-ins will build and load in a runtime instance.

Without the compatibility pack, the DTP plug-ins load in Eclipse 3.2M3,
since the Navigator framework is present. Due to changes in the Navigator
framework from Eclipse 3.2M3 to M4, however, these plug-ins will not work
as-is when loaded into a 3.2M4 environment. So, we have this problem -- we
need to update these plug-ins as necessary to load in 3.2M4 (Callisto build
requirement), but we don't want to change them in a way that breaks them
for the current 3.1 compatibility layer. We then need to test out the
functionality of all these plug-ins in Eclipse 3.1 and 3.2M4, since loading
by itself is only the first step. And, finally, we have a milestone
requirement currently scheduled for Thursday, 12/22. Given this situation,
I would like to propose the following for this week's milestone build:

1) If we can not update the navigator-dependent plug-ins to maintain the
current state in the compatibility pack for 3.1, then we tag the current
CVS version for these plug-ins with "M2_E3.1" and then check in the changes
required for 3.2M4 fixes. I will then build a Eclipse 3.1 stream using this
tag for these plug-ins, and a Eclipse 3.2M4 stream from head.

2) Whether or not we do two builds as a result of (1), I create a
"compatibility pack" for Eclipse 3.1. If we have two builds of the main DTP
code line, then I will include this pack in the 3.1 build. If not, then I
will post it as a separate download on the web site.

3) We originally scheduled the M2 build for 12/22 (Thurs), but technically
we have until 12/23 (Fri) to meet our Callisto obligations. Given these
issues, I suggest that we build on Friday, with the requirement that all
code is in CVS by 9EST on Thursday evening. At 9EST Thursday, I will take a
snapshot of DTP from CVS and tag it with "DTP_M2." This tag will be used to
do the build on Friday, allowing people to continue to check in after 9EST,
if necessary (but not included in the M2 build).

4) Going forward after the holidays (many people off the week between 12/25
and 1/2), we then stabilize the current plug-in set and resolve the
navigator issues. This will be necessary to provide SQL Dev and others
building on Model Base and Connectivity to meet their Q1 goals and for DTP
to hit the 0.7 release plan.

Thoughts or suggestions?

Regards,
John Graham
Staff Software Engineer
Sybase, Inc.