RE: [WDSCI-L] Removing a plug-in

[Mark Phippard <MarkP@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

wdsci-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx wrote on 10/05/2004 11:25:19 AM:

> IBM's choice to put WDSCi on top of an open source product introduces 
the
> same question that keep companies from going with other open-source
> products: who's going to support it? As long as IBM feels free to not 
work
> on Eclipse problems, and Eclipse has no obligation to WDSCi users, then
> there's a crack in the support infrastructure. Uninstalling plug-ins is 
not
> a mission critical issue. I'm just saying it reflects a less than 
perfect
> support situation.

Actually the "chain" would look like this:

WDSC (built on top of:)
   WSAD/WSSD (built on top of:)
       WebSphere Studio Workbench, now IBM Software Development Platform, 
(built on top of:)
            Eclipse


If the effected area isn't specifically part of WDSC, then WDSC does not 
get the "fix" until WSAD/WSSD get it and release it, which may not be 
until the layers below it get it and release it.  Also, as you move down 
the chain, the pool of users that use each product grows much larger.  I 
only point that out because in theory there would be a lot more WSAD or 
Eclipse users affected by a problem, than WDSC users.  Meaning there ought 
to be sufficient incentive to fix the problems at those levels where the 
resources are also far greater.

I would simply prefer to see the WDSC team focusing on making a great 
iSeries development tool.  If that means, dipping down and fixing 
something in Eclipse (like a split-view editor!) then perhaps they should 
do that.  Otherwise, I think they should just be pressuring the layers 
below them to implement the change and focus on iSeries stuff.  Open 
Source is not an excuse, but I do not think anyone is making one.  Part of 
using open source is doing it the "right way".  We are better off in the 
long run if WDSC plays by the rules and doesn't try to implement its own 
custom versions just because they can.  Also, we should not overlook the 
plethora of tools and capabilities in the non-iSeries specific areas we 
are getting for free because of the open source foundation.  We would 
never have seen tools of this caliber in the iSeries world without that 
foundation.

Finally, in this case Eclipse does have a method for removing a plugin. In 
Eclipse 3.0 the UI for doing this has been greatly simplified.  However 
they have decided for philosophical reasons that they will only go so far 
as to disable a plugin, not physically remove it.

Mark



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