Connecting developer tools across desktop and web with Project Flux

EclipseCon France 2014

John Arthorne - IBM / @jarthorne

Eclipse as Tool Platform

• Great language tools
• Thousands of plugins
• Works with other local tools
• Great for working offline
• Cross-platform (sort of)

Cloud as Tool Platform

Cloud advantages

• Truly cross platform (tablets, servers, desktops ...)
• Extreme scalability (up and down)
• Low cost tool configuration
• Toolchain control

Current state of cloud tooling

• Current tools demonstrate what is possible
• Huge gaps in the available tool chain
• Will take years to catch up to desktop tools ecosystem

A difficult choice

• Stay with desktop tools and live with desktop constraints
• Take the leap to the cloud, and leave existing tools behind
• But what if you could have both?

Flux Demo

• Connect Eclipse project to Flux
• Java syntax validation
• Content assist
• Jump to declaration (F3)
• Rename in file

What's a Flux?

1. the action or process of flowing
2. continuous change
3. a new Eclipse project bridging gap between desktop and cloud
4. a new architecture and infrastructure for connecting development tools across desktop, browser, and servers

Current Architecture

Future Architecture

Cloud Architecture

Work Areas

• Basic infrastructure: messaging system, repository synchronization
• Cloud-based Java language tooling
• Cloud-based JavaScript language tooling
• Application deployment and execution services, possible debug integration
• <enter your work area here>

References

• http://wiki.eclipse.org/Flux
• http://github.com/eclipse/flux
• http://github.com/jarthorn/EclipseConFrance2014

Questions?