[equinox-dev] Re: boot class path extension bundles in Eclipse/Equinox

[Mel Martinez <melm@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Jay,

Technically, any file can be deployed via a feature/bundle. The only real
issue is how one gets the jar into the xbootclasspath at startup.  As you
know, the IBM WMC version of the RCP uses a configuration file to configure
the launch environment and that can be modified via feature installhandler
to add a jar contained in some bundle to the boot classpath, thus meaning
any file, including boot path jars, can be updated.

I guess you are really asking if Equinox/Eclipse should be providing some
similar capability for 'standard' eclipse.  Is that correct?  In that case,
that's a fair thing to ask.

This topic sort of crosses over into the dev-update list, because it covers
update, but since this is also 'new ground' for platform lifecycle, it does
probably need to be vetted here as well.

One of the key aspects that enables the 'updating of everything' in the WMC
architecture is to use a two-stage launch.  The first launcher process,
which terminates as a process after it is done, includes code to finish and
clean up install/update steps that affect the launch of the runtime
process.  The main task of the first launch phase is to configure the
launch environment for the runtime process.  Because the first launcher is
not running during the runtime, it can itself be changed during an update.

Is it time to start talking about incorporating any of these ideas into
eclipse?

[Side note - Andrew Davis will be doing a short 'lightening talk' on
'updating the entire world' at EclipseCon.  I can't be there, but Andrew
will go over some of the techniques that we use to make it possible to
update every single aspect of the system.]

-mel


] From: "Jay Rosenthal" <jrosenth@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
]
] I've got a problem where boot class path extension bundles appear to be
] the solution.
]
] Will there be an implementation in Equinox (or Eclipse) in the near
] future?
]
] We've got the need to have a pojo (jar) on the boot class path at
startup.
]
] The problem is that the pojo can not be updated using OSGi because it
] is not part of any bundle.