tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-234358332024-03-05T00:43:07.889-05:00Modeling EclipseTopics related to modeling projects at EclipseRichard C. Gronbackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13134434976434460882noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23435833.post-77241537638447504292007-09-24T09:21:00.000-04:002007-09-24T10:39:25.873-04:00Time to Write a BookIt seems the time has arrived for me to write a book on the Modeling project. More specifically, now that things have settled down on <a href="http://www.eclipse.org/gmf">GMF</a> and the QVT contribution is available in <a href="http://dev.eclipse.org/viewcvs/index.cgi/org.eclipse.m2m/org.eclipse.m2m.qvt.oml/?root=Modeling_Project">CVS</a>, it's time to write a book on using the Modeling project as a DSL Toolkit.<br /><br />Designed to complement the "<a href="http://www.aw-bc.com/catalog/academic/product/0,1144,0321331885,00.html">EMF book</a>" (version 2.0 is out soon!) in the same Addison-Wesley series, the book is scheduled to be completed at the end of March, 2008 and be some 500 pages long. So far, I have just about 100 pages written in draft form, so hopefully it will be a long cold winter indoors.<br /><br />The book will utilize a series of DSL projects to cover in detail the development of graphical concrete syntaxes (using GMF), model-to-model transformations (using QVT Operational Mapping Language), and model-to-text transformations (using Xpand). In the future, perhaps be extended to cover concrete textual syntaxes, if and when the proposed Textual Modeling Framework project becomes a reality.<br /><br />At this point, I'd be interested in the community's feedback on this book and its scope. To me, a DSL Toolkit should include all aspects of model-driven software development as they relate to a domain (semantic) model. And since the world already has an excellent book on EMF itself, it's about time we had one to cover these other important capabilities in the Modeling project.<br /><br />For those attending <a href="http://www.eclipsecon.org/summiteurope2007/">Eclipse Summit Europe</a> this year, Ed and I will be <a href="http://www.eclipsecon.org/summiteurope2007/index.php?page=detail/&id=32">demoing</a> part of the book's sample projects. In November, I'll be delivering a similar <a href="http://www.eclipseworld.net/thu_am.htm">presentation</a> at <a href="http://www.eclipseworld.net/">EclipseWorld</a>. Hope to see you there!Richard C. Gronbackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13134434976434460882noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23435833.post-1799846336950357462007-09-23T10:08:00.000-04:002007-09-23T11:25:50.302-04:00Modeling is the Very Model of a Modern Majorly General and Diverse CommunityBy any measure of diversity the Modeling project is most certainly that. It stands out among the top level Eclipse projects as model of diversity. Variety is the spice of life!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWpel3Bonop5WGUInKEwyF5v-yOl6QmXwz1V8Fhwlo2w620vk9OlcyHmaJGNZh6to1ro59TaMF7cLPX-O4HiyktHHJvdKhoPU0RI5v5Bx_NCZhNhkcuYAOiA7mqkakQlqccc1o/s1600-h/BoxFish.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWpel3Bonop5WGUInKEwyF5v-yOl6QmXwz1V8Fhwlo2w620vk9OlcyHmaJGNZh6to1ro59TaMF7cLPX-O4HiyktHHJvdKhoPU0RI5v5Bx_NCZhNhkcuYAOiA7mqkakQlqccc1o/s400/BoxFish.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5113409230587306482" border="0" /></a><br />Of course there are some big corporations involved<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaqNI-d61ka2mTcHCitsDXWbWKdja2XFezK1sEHr4aD0vkIiXs959WBwCXey-dITgiUwruiazczxcOsxe69oJw9P0U5VUbwxHFgMO7qIy7NC0y22zhQk0cnGZ5X3KDsBR0lpH8/s1600-h/SeaTurtle.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaqNI-d61ka2mTcHCitsDXWbWKdja2XFezK1sEHr4aD0vkIiXs959WBwCXey-dITgiUwruiazczxcOsxe69oJw9P0U5VUbwxHFgMO7qIy7NC0y22zhQk0cnGZ5X3KDsBR0lpH8/s400/SeaTurtle.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5113409823292793346" border="0" /></a><br />but also smaller companies<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHv3R3in2CeDsBNTx4gp5I0z0KtjGgA1JwFmfdzhe49s7RvBmNQ62yy0ZstBiedIbU4DO6p93BD6ZJ8XGSlP3Gfh_Zz0AfgnqFbCIT-bu-6PVCFlWrXWpbITgHBgVRFKT9Rfu5/s1600-h/CoralBandedShrimp.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHv3R3in2CeDsBNTx4gp5I0z0KtjGgA1JwFmfdzhe49s7RvBmNQ62yy0ZstBiedIbU4DO6p93BD6ZJ8XGSlP3Gfh_Zz0AfgnqFbCIT-bu-6PVCFlWrXWpbITgHBgVRFKT9Rfu5/s400/CoralBandedShrimp.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5113410540552331794" border="0" /></a><br />as well as academics and some unique very unique individuals<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1HluIF_7OjIVJpuJCqEGJZ9EQ20N-7xlyCrzT7xzHythw887GMY-n0Vk_bxBXgRfHhV0l69OfPcr80PzoFQKf89lMyEGYa7ADPOXikrkBnJfBQ4lFxVfWLY7Kzz8s83xvkn_j/s1600-h/PurpleAndYellowFish.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1HluIF_7OjIVJpuJCqEGJZ9EQ20N-7xlyCrzT7xzHythw887GMY-n0Vk_bxBXgRfHhV0l69OfPcr80PzoFQKf89lMyEGYa7ADPOXikrkBnJfBQ4lFxVfWLY7Kzz8s83xvkn_j/s400/PurpleAndYellowFish.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5113411644358926882" border="0" /></a><br />including more than a few you might easily over look because they blend in so well.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4kGvqlPDs_acFakVqhBoBs-ynXH7f7ucUhYRCik3nYzH1qjIl2DexRbbYcy7G1XwocTERusmYxQknBk8wndLQncdkxTX6x57J4kG0rsAZvMfYDIJkAM7trpnU0GJZcgv_rLkZ/s1600-h/HiddenFish.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4kGvqlPDs_acFakVqhBoBs-ynXH7f7ucUhYRCik3nYzH1qjIl2DexRbbYcy7G1XwocTERusmYxQknBk8wndLQncdkxTX6x57J4kG0rsAZvMfYDIJkAM7trpnU0GJZcgv_rLkZ/s400/HiddenFish.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5113412430337942066" border="0" /></a><br />With the call for EclipseCon talks coming out this week, it's time to start thinking about emerging from your little hidy hole to share a bit of yourself with others.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKM-PgN0go-cjvCds8LyX88Z_xLa6bKFxwjYqaueMvliFAgX4wDWgOqcGrQEb1qw8fUqmY6CEs0Qw9XbW5l43oYMn7ozfZnrx9kAsw9hnlv9k96KLnlC5DVleClPtj03eUMWxz/s1600-h/Eel.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKM-PgN0go-cjvCds8LyX88Z_xLa6bKFxwjYqaueMvliFAgX4wDWgOqcGrQEb1qw8fUqmY6CEs0Qw9XbW5l43oYMn7ozfZnrx9kAsw9hnlv9k96KLnlC5DVleClPtj03eUMWxz/s400/Eel.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5113413800432509506" border="0" /></a><br />I'll bet you have a unique story to tell.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOyko_Ibt1T7VHXEdQtZXUbDaL6yxp4qoPAfcOWbjD11ZNgZOqfC5Eh-es8_D1lZVsp8_WzlL9mB27sCNTnWSY4mVcesOR0t8Bm5pSP2AyHIpiHYzWoYmu20pKwRSh1E3OL6o0/s1600-h/PinkSponge.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOyko_Ibt1T7VHXEdQtZXUbDaL6yxp4qoPAfcOWbjD11ZNgZOqfC5Eh-es8_D1lZVsp8_WzlL9mB27sCNTnWSY4mVcesOR0t8Bm5pSP2AyHIpiHYzWoYmu20pKwRSh1E3OL6o0/s400/PinkSponge.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5113414736735380050" border="0" /></a><br />In any case, come to Eclipse Summit Europe and come to EclipseCon to sponge up some knowledge.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipAIEiVlIXMBXQPfQ2DDDDmjfsAtI_U9NhMnMA5bLWDafOYf4pFc2V7vuxzD46xobOuOqR_TpzBW2GhkC4-9Ket5S4rr1j4TNiuuWpoSQaHOIcKUvFW3ifCrA8fHOtcCDgDxqU/s1600-h/PurpleSponge.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipAIEiVlIXMBXQPfQ2DDDDmjfsAtI_U9NhMnMA5bLWDafOYf4pFc2V7vuxzD46xobOuOqR_TpzBW2GhkC4-9Ket5S4rr1j4TNiuuWpoSQaHOIcKUvFW3ifCrA8fHOtcCDgDxqU/s400/PurpleSponge.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5113415398160343650" border="0" /></a><br />Bring a friend.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNGou-cIwY47R5ujHxMGLDBv0o6va0b4aFIZWWVhaWlb9U8gxtBmwDMa4uTa4a77qzy6fbaB4lwWSPgvuwEJKvmnykA4jnKkX2zJBKz2FYVd0QayJcv-IEsFpr9XpAGvDn21OW/s1600-h/SeaHorses.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNGou-cIwY47R5ujHxMGLDBv0o6va0b4aFIZWWVhaWlb9U8gxtBmwDMa4uTa4a77qzy6fbaB4lwWSPgvuwEJKvmnykA4jnKkX2zJBKz2FYVd0QayJcv-IEsFpr9XpAGvDn21OW/s400/SeaHorses.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5113415930736288370" border="0" /></a><br />Hope to see you there!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCPZKKBw5mIteRrAfDOP1cHbuHPh3411Y_sfdO-nS0obufgdN6BlJEnX0SH0df-E1eF9p-cp0wEpCF8zw7BVm8199uccwAZjA22J5fOOpPjRpYcdXp-PFQ4QSo7Rk1SahXdybB/s1600-h/EdDiving.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCPZKKBw5mIteRrAfDOP1cHbuHPh3411Y_sfdO-nS0obufgdN6BlJEnX0SH0df-E1eF9p-cp0wEpCF8zw7BVm8199uccwAZjA22J5fOOpPjRpYcdXp-PFQ4QSo7Rk1SahXdybB/s400/EdDiving.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5113416579276350082" border="0" /></a>Ed Merkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08767888750692843294noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23435833.post-4571047272915565732007-04-10T17:49:00.000-04:002007-04-10T18:37:44.252-04:00Modeling is doing well with the JDJ readersWayne's blog drew my attention to the <a href="http://jdj.sys-con.com/general/readerschoice.htm">JDJ Readers' Choice Awards</a>. Of course Eclipse is doing extremely well as one would naturally expect from such a fine technology. Closer to home though, it was very exciting to see the modeling project doing so well in the <a href="http://www2.sys-con.com/java/readerschoice2004/frameliveupdate.cfm?BType=14">Best Java Modeling Tool</a> category, especially considering that the sexy graphical tools for UML and Ecore are still in their early stages of development. What really blew me away though was to see EMF ranked so highly in the <a href="http://www2.sys-con.com/java/readerschoice2004/frameliveupdate.cfm?BType=11">Best Java Component</a> category. How cool is that? I think this is a great reflection of how much the modeling community has grown and matured over the last few years. There's no end in sight for all the valuable capabilities that enhance the overall big picture of what's all possible with modeling. The community is really gathering steam. In this world of runaway complexity, model-driven development is one of the few technologies that has a very real potential to introduce revolutionary change in how we develop applications more quickly. Modeling isn't just for tools anymore.<br /><br />Where some might look and see very little, others will look more closely and see unnoticed potential:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSYa0Agu7QfY5bBoV2uUTMg8gyTEAu0G9d4K00Z0tOAdd8qR3PuGeSkZBlmEkmc6q0q39G2YcqRTrB_I70VzaY4Kr6LXYSaFT78XDGOe7taIEjB1MPhleyW2sIPVAIHzrXL08q/s1600-h/Octopus1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSYa0Agu7QfY5bBoV2uUTMg8gyTEAu0G9d4K00Z0tOAdd8qR3PuGeSkZBlmEkmc6q0q39G2YcqRTrB_I70VzaY4Kr6LXYSaFT78XDGOe7taIEjB1MPhleyW2sIPVAIHzrXL08q/s400/Octopus1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5051927609445630770" border="0" /></a><br />And then, with a few changes, all of a sudden the potential is much more clear.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglAc0cX-2dA1-OUnftIC8Dsat5sOxy3dd2OCMgwyGorc5zBrQmDWdcJxk-r5iPQudp-ytfL62e5sY6hXGdV2IXsHiJiB1HUNWeWDOguWWF40W5Vk1VFN81PFvmrXjrewJt_-_m/s1600-h/Octopus2.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglAc0cX-2dA1-OUnftIC8Dsat5sOxy3dd2OCMgwyGorc5zBrQmDWdcJxk-r5iPQudp-ytfL62e5sY6hXGdV2IXsHiJiB1HUNWeWDOguWWF40W5Vk1VFN81PFvmrXjrewJt_-_m/s400/Octopus2.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5051927721114780482" border="0" /></a><br />The octopus is a master at modeling its surroundings.<br /><br />I would definitely encourage people to go out an vote for their favorite Eclipse technologies!Ed Merkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08767888750692843294noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23435833.post-39054597820135440872007-01-28T19:31:00.000-05:002007-01-28T20:51:45.976-05:00Modeling @ EclipseCon 2007There's quite a bit of modeling content at this year's <a href="http://www.eclipsecon.org/2007/">EclipseCon</a>, so I hope you can make it. Ed and I are still in the process of deciding <a href="http://eclipsezilla.eclipsecon.org/buglist.cgi?query_format=advanced&short_desc_type=allwordssubstr&short_desc=&product=EclipseCon+2007&component=Short%20Talk&track_id=7&long_desc_type=substring&long_desc=&keywords_type=allwords&keywords=&bug_status=NEW&bug_status=REOPEN&emailtype1=substring&email1=&emailreporter2=1&emailcc2=1&emailtype2=substring&email2=&bugidtype=include&bug_id=&cmdtype=doit&order=Reuse+same+sort+as+last+time&field0-0-0=noop&type0-0-0=noop&value0-0-0=">Short Talks</a> and <a href="http://eclipsezilla.eclipsecon.org/buglist.cgi?query_format=advanced&short_desc_type=allwordssubstr&short_desc=&product=EclipseCon+2007&component=Demo&track_id=7&long_desc_type=substring&long_desc=&keywords_type=allwords&keywords=&bug_status=NEW&bug_status=REOPEN&emailtype1=substring&email1=&emailreporter2=1&emailcc2=1&emailtype2=substring&email2=&bugidtype=include&bug_id=&cmdtype=doit&order=Reuse+same+sort+as+last+time&field0-0-0=noop&type0-0-0=noop&value0-0-0=">Demos</a>, but the <a href="http://eclipsezilla.eclipsecon.org/buglist.cgi?query_format=advanced&short_desc_type=allwordssubstr&short_desc=&product=EclipseCon+2007&component=Long%20Talk&track_id=7&long_desc_type=substring&long_desc=&keywords_type=allwords&keywords=&bug_status=SCHEDULED&bug_status=RESOLVED&resolution=ACCEPTED&emailtype1=substring&email1=&emailreporter2=1&emailcc2=1&emailtype2=substring&email2=&bugidtype=include&bug_id=&cmdtype=doit&order=Reuse+same+sort+as+last+time&field0-0-0=noop&type0-0-0=noop&value0-0-0=">Tutorials</a> and <a href="http://eclipsezilla.eclipsecon.org/buglist.cgi?query_format=advanced&short_desc_type=allwordssubstr&short_desc=&product=EclipseCon+2007&component=Long+Tutorial&component=Short+Tutorial&long_desc_type=substring&long_desc=&keywords_type=allwords&keywords=&bug_status=SCHEDULED&bug_status=RESOLVED&resolution=ACCEPTED&track_id=7&emailtype1=substring&email1=&emailreporter2=1&emailcc2=1&emailtype2=substring&email2=&bugidtype=include&bug_id=&cmdtype=doit&order=Reuse+same+sort+as+last+time&field0-0-0=noop&type0-0-0=noop&value0-0-0=">Long Talks</a> are wrapped up.<br /><br />This year's Program Committee consisted of 20 PMC members and distinguished members of the community who reviewed hundreds of submissions across 18 tracks. Modeling has its own track, although it's not so easy to identify the tracks in the online table view (note: send a feature request). Fortunately, Joana Trindade created a <a href="http://www.eclipsecon.org/2007/index.php?page=sub/&type=recommended">Recommended Track</a> that focuses on <a href="http://www.eclipsecon.org/2007/index.php?page=sub/&id=4108">modeling</a>. I created my own <a href="http://www.eclipsecon.org/2007/index.php?page=sub/&id=4125">personal track</a> using <a href="http://eclipse-projects.blogspot.com">Bjorn's</a> nifty shopping cart-style interface. <br /><br />If you're interested in tutorials, you'll have to decide between 2 all-day modeling tutorials: <a href="http://www.eclipsecon.org/2007/index.php?page=sub/&id=3619">Effective use of the Eclipse Modeling Project</a> and <a href="http://www.eclipsecon.org/2007/index.php?page=sub/&id=3627">MDSD from frontend to code using Eclipse modeling technologies</a>. I won't bother to list the rest of what's available here, so I encourage you to take a look at the full <a href="http://www.eclipsecon.org/2007/index.php?page=sub/&id=all">program</a>.<br /><br />Some of the expected highlights of EclipseCon this year are the excellent <a href="http://www.eclipsecon.org/2007/">keynotes</a>, including one by Scott Adams (<a href="http://www.dilbert.com/">Dilbert</a>), and some interesting <a href="http://www.eclipsecon.org/2007/index.php?page=sub/&type=panel">panels</a> (you've gotta love this title: <a href="http://www.eclipsecon.org/2007/index.php?page=sub/&id=3757">What sucks about Eclipse</a>). Of course, with over 200 sessions including more than 50 tutorials, it promises to be a great conference. Be sure to <a href="http://www.eclipsecon.org/2007/index.php?page=registration/">register</a>!Richard C. Gronbackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13134434976434460882noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23435833.post-1159358783434776012006-09-27T07:54:00.000-04:002006-09-28T07:49:59.386-04:00Modeling StandardsIt's nearing the end of September, so I guess it's time for my quarterly blog entry ;-) This time, it's about standards; specifically, <a href="http://www.omg.org/">OMG</a> standards and how we can support them within the Modeling project.<br /><br />This topic is the focus of my position paper for the upcoming <a href="http://www.eclipsecon.org/summiteurope2006/index.php?page=detail/&id=6">Modeling Symposium</a> at <a href="http://www.eclipsecon.org/summiteurope2006/">Eclipse Summit Europe</a> (thanks to Jean for the encouragement). It's more of a political discussion than technical, so I won't bore you with all the details here, as you can read the paper if you're interested. In essence, it's really just a list of questions that need answering regarding how the two organizations will interact. On the one hand, you have a standards body that excels at delivering specifications and a <a href="http://www.omg.org/gettingstarted/specsandprods.htm#SpecProd">vow to never implement them</a>. On the other hand, you have an implementation-focused organization that excels at delivering solid (working) code, which often become de facto standards.<br /><br />Now, how to work together such that a mutually-beneficial balance can be struck? Of course, we've not started any formal discussion on the topic between the two just yet. I guess the paper and this blog entry are just my way of warming up to the challenge, for I suspect it will not be a simple solution ;-). That's all for now.Richard C. Gronbackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13134434976434460882noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23435833.post-1150835088659672032006-06-20T15:27:00.000-04:002006-06-21T17:16:11.556-04:00How to organize?Clearly, I'm not a natural born blogger, but with things winding down on <a href="http://www.eclipse.org/projects/callisto.php">Callisto</a> and some time being afforded to our duties on the Modeling PMC, Ed and I have been working with the rest of the PMC to determine how to best organize the projects found within the <a href="http://www.eclipse.org/modeling">Eclipse Modeling Project</a>.<br /><br />At present, it seems we have agreed on several categories: abstract syntax development (think <a href="http://www.eclipse.org/emf">EMF</a>), concrete syntax development (think <a href="http://www.eclipse.org/gmf">GMF</a>), model transformation (think <a href="http://www.eclipse.org/emft/projects/jet/">JET</a> and forthcoming QVT), model exchange and integration (think <a href="http://www.eclipse.org/mddi">MDDi</a>), modeling tools based largely on industry standards (think <a href="http://www.eclipse.org/uml2">UML2</a>), and a place for research and emerging technologies to incubate (think <a href="http://www.eclipse.org/gmt">GMT</a>). These should nicely categorize what appear to be 9 emerging projects within Modeling, from an organizational/provisioning standpoint: <br /><br />- Eclipse Modeling Framework (EMF)<br />- Graphical Modeling Framework (GMF)<br />- Textual Modeling Framework (TMF)<br />- Model to Model Transformation (M2M)<br />- Model to Text Transformation (M2T)<br />- Model Development Tools (MDT)<br />- Generative Modeling Tools|Technologies (GMT)<br />- Model Driven Development integration (MDDi)<br /><br />The task is rather complex, given the need to ensure each project can form and maintain the required communities, have adequate contributor diversity, provide the level of interoperability expected as part of a more comprehensive and cohesive whole, leverage a common infrastructure for builds and reporting, align their development cycles, etc. Leadership for each project is key, as is a dedicated list of contributors and member companies. Of course, this is an advertisement for additional help by way of contribution ;-)<br /><br />MDT is a project inspired by the user community and repeated hints from <a href="http://milinkovich.blogspot.com/">Mike Milinkovich</a> regarding the the need for more end user "tooling" from the Modeling project. We seem to have an abundance of frameworks and low-level technologies for modeling, but not much by way of what most expect to find (read: a free UML modeling tool). Of course, this is fueled by the fact that "other" free modeling tools exist, making Eclipse a bit of a laggard in this area (sorry, Mike). Hopefully, now that we have the key components in place (EMF, GMF, UML2), getting the community focused on providing this won't take much longer.<br /><br />Now, if I maintain my current frequency of blog entries... see you in September! ;-)Richard C. Gronbackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13134434976434460882noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23435833.post-1142340073298365612006-03-14T07:33:00.000-05:002006-03-14T08:04:45.866-05:00Where are we going?I'd like to return to the questions raised by Joe Winchester in his <a href="http://in.sys-con.com/read/180409.htm">article</a> to see if we can provide some answers as they relate to the scope and vision of the proposed <a href="http://www.eclipse.org/proposals/modeling/">Eclipse Modeling Project</a>.<br /><br />Regarding the value-add perspective of high-cost commercial tool vendors, I'd agree this is a reason we've not see such tooling contributed in whole to open source. This is reasonable, considering the large effort it takes to produce such tooling (or at least, as it has in the past). Projects such as GMF promise to significantly reduce the cost of producing high-quality graphical editors for practically any domain. This will pressure commercial vendors to provide another level of value-add functionality in their products, or see themselves be commoditized much like the IDE market has been.<br /><br />A significant part of this next level of value-add will come with the continued realization of model-driven development technologies, as I see it. This relates to Joe's second point, regarding the perceived usefulness of "modeling" tools by many. I suspect most would agree with the <a href="http://www.agilemanifesto.org">Agile</a> value of "working software over comprehensive documentation," where the latter is typically seen as the primary value-add that modeling tools bring to development (like it or not). With model-driven development, the production of working software from models is the focus, and what if anything will grow popular interest in "modeling" tools.<br /><br />To this end, the Modeling project aims to unify and extend the current capabilities found among Eclipse projects (both standards-compliant and alternative). Recent contributions to <a href="http://www.eclipse.org/gmf">GMF</a> and the <a href="http://www.eclipse.org/emft">EMFT</a> project (model query, validation, transaction, and OCL), not to mention improvements coming to JET, brings the overall set of capabilities within Modeling much closer to what will be needed for model-driven tooling to continue evolving at Eclipse. The GMF project takes a model-driven approach, and leverages several of these capabilities to generate domain-specific modeling tools, which in turn can leverage the same capabilities to allow for the production of more model-based generative tooling. The potential is there, although significant work remains, most notably in the area of model transformation.<br /><br />In conclusion, I would agree with Joe that the reason that we have not yet seen good, high-level tools in open source is that the (relatively small) community hasn't gotten around to creating them. While a goal of the Modeling project is to provide a home at Eclipse for high quality frameworks and exemplary tools of this nature, it is just getting started. The easy part was in its declaration, while the hard work to realize it through additional contributions and improved interoperability is at hand.Richard C. Gronbackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13134434976434460882noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23435833.post-1141908408685779312006-03-09T07:37:00.000-05:002006-03-09T07:46:48.693-05:00Successful Project Creation ReviewRich did a most excellent job presenting an overview of the project proposal at yesterday's creation review meeting. It was completed in a record time of just nine minutes, which was much appreciated by the reviewers because it left them plenty of time for questions. Since we were able to answer all the questions, the review completed without a hitch. We are now looking forward to a final vote of approval from the board during their EclispeCon meeting.Ed Merkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08767888750692843294noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23435833.post-1141660896123114122006-03-06T10:47:00.000-05:002006-03-06T11:01:36.133-05:00Lax Canadian Border SecurityRich,<br /><br />I see that I will need to have yet another chat with my friends at the border to ensure that suspicious types such as yourself don't slip through the security cracks on a regular basis. I thought I'd been very clear with them the first time, but obviously your dazzling display of open source knowledge intimidated them into throwing wide our borders yet again. Well, rest assured that with a little bit of re-education and re-training, this breach in protocol won't work for you a second time...Ed Merkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08767888750692843294noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23435833.post-1141565705835369932006-03-05T07:29:00.000-05:002006-03-05T08:41:47.686-05:00Welcome to Canada!Inspired by <a href="http://milinkovich.blogspot.com/">Mike Milinkovich</a>, who alerted me to an <a href="http://in.sys-con.com/read/180409.htm">article</a> by Joe Winchester, I have decided to finally create a blog (why not?). The plan is to focus on modeling-related topics at Eclipse, specifically concerning the newly <a href="http://www.eclipse.org/proposals/modeling/">proposed</a> top-level Modeling project. Hopefully, it will become a team effort with Ed and others, not unlike what Bjorn and Ward have done <a href="http://eclipse-projects.blogspot.com/">here</a>.<br /><br />Now, for the real inspiration for this blog entry... my recent trip to Canada to discuss said Modeling project with fellow-proposed PMC members.<br /><br />Living in Connecticut, and after discovering there are no direct means by which to travel to Ottawa, I decided to drive (mistake #1). After a few hours of driving across barren upstate New York, I arrived at the border where I informed the guard I was traveling on business (mistake #2). This and a few other pointed questions won me the opportunity to speak with another guard behind door #1 at the official "Canadian Welcome Center."<br /><br />Now, if you've ever questioned the motivation behind open source, or pondered the question of how a for-profit company can make $ by contributing to Eclipse... here's an exchange that may be familiar:<br /><br />Border Guard: "What brings you to Canada?"<br />Me: "I'm going to Ottawa to meet with some folks at IBM."<br />Border Guard: "Do you work for IBM?"<br />Me: "No, I work for Borland Software."<br />Border Guard: "Then, why are you going to meet with IBM?"<br />Me: "Well, we work together on the same project."<br />Border Guard: "Whose product is it?"<br />Me: "Uh, it's an open source project at Eclipse." (mistake #3)<br />Border Guard: "Who sells it?" (now I'm in trouble)<br />Me: "Nobody, actually. It's free software." (honesty is not seeming like the best policy here)<br />Border Guard: "So, who pays you?"<br />Me: "Borland does."<br />Border Guard: "So, does Borland pay the IBM employees on the project?"<br />Me: "No, IBM pays them." (clearly, I am never getting into Canada)<br />Border Guard: "I'm not sure I understand. How do you make money by doing this?"<br />Me: "Now, that is a great question that I don't think anyone has a good answer to yet." (mistake #4)<br />Border Guard: "OK, so do you have a Letter of Invitation?"<br />Me: "No." (mistake #5)<br />Border Guard: "Well, you'll need to have one filled out and faxed here before I can let you pass."<br />Me: "OK, thanks."<br /><br />I return to my car, fire up the laptop, and try to locate a number I can call to get such a letter. Of course, there is no answer. I leave a message and look for another number to try when suddenly, I see my new Canadian friend emerge from behind door #1.<br /><br />Border Guard: "OK, I looked it up online and guess it's true. Next time, you'll need to have a Letter of Invitation, but I'm going to let you pass this time."<br />Me: "Thanks. I sure will." (thinking to myself, "Next time, I'll be a tourist.")<br /><br />Anyway, the plan is to continue contributing to Eclipse and with the help of our Canadian colleagues (and border patrol), form a solid community around modeling-related activities at Eclipse. In response to Joe Winchester's article, stay tuned to the new Modeling project and this blog for more information about how and when high-level design tools will become available at Eclipse.Richard C. Gronbackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13134434976434460882noreply@blogger.com0