| <?php |
| /** |
| * Copyright (c) 2014, 2015, 2018 Eclipse Foundation and others. |
| * |
| * This program and the accompanying materials are made |
| * available under the terms of the Eclipse Public License 2.0 |
| * which is available at https://www.eclipse.org/legal/epl-2.0/ |
| * |
| * Contributors: |
| * Christopher Guindon (Eclipse Foundation) - initial API and implementation |
| * |
| * SPDX-License-Identifier: EPL-2.0 |
| */ |
| ?> |
| |
| <div id="midcolumn"> |
| <h2> |
| <?php print $pageTitle;?> |
| </h2> |
| |
| <h3>What is Eclipse?</h3> |
| <p>Eclipse is an open source community whose projects are focused on |
| building an extensible development platform, runtimes and application |
| frameworks for building, deploying and managing software across the |
| entire software lifecycle. Many people know us, and hopefully love us, |
| as a Java IDE but Eclipse is much more than a Java IDE.</p> |
| <p>The Eclipse open source community has over 200 open source projects. |
| These projects can be conceptually organized into seven different |
| "pillars" or categories:</p> |
| <ol> |
| <li>Enterprise Development</li> |
| <li>Embedded and Device Development</li> |
| <li>Rich Client Platform</li> |
| <li>Rich Internet Applications</li> |
| <li>Application Frameworks</li> |
| <li>Application Lifecycle Management (ALM)</li> |
| <li>Service Oriented Architecture (SOA)</li> |
| </ol> |
| <p>The Eclipse community is also supported by a large and vibrant |
| ecosystem of major IT solution providers, innovative start-ups, |
| universities and research institutions and individuals that extend, |
| support and complement the Eclipse Platform.</p> |
| <p>One very exciting thing about Eclipse is that many people are using |
| Eclipse in ways that we have never imagined. The common thread is that |
| they are building innovative, industrial-strength software and want to |
| use great tools, frameworks and runtimes to make their job easier.</p> |
| |
| <h3>What is the Eclipse Foundation?</h3> |
| <p>The Eclipse Foundation is a not-for-profit, member-supported |
| corporation that hosts the Eclipse projects. The Foundation provides |
| services to run the IT infrastructure, perform IP due diligence, |
| mentor open source projects, and provide marketing and business |
| development support for the Eclipse community.</p> |
| <p>It is important to realize that the Eclipse Foundation does not |
| actually develop the open source code. All of the open source software |
| at Eclipse is developed by open source developers, called committers, |
| which are volunteered or contributed by organizations and individuals.</p> |
| |
| <h3>How can I get started using Eclipse?</h3> |
| <p> |
| Most people start by downloading <a |
| href="http://www.eclipse.org/downloads/">one of the different |
| download packages</a>. Plugins can be added to Eclipse to expand its |
| functionality; the <a href="/projects/listofprojects.php">Eclipse |
| Projects</a> and <a href="http://marketplace.eclipse.org/">Eclipse |
| Marketplace</a> are two sources for additional plugins, but there are |
| many more out there!<br /> <br /> There is also a wealth of <a |
| href="/resources?type=book">books</a>, <a |
| href="http://www.eclipse.org/resources?category=Getting%20Started">tutorials |
| and white papers</a> to help you get started. Check out <a |
| href="http://wiki.eclipse.org/The_Official_Eclipse_FAQs">The Official |
| Eclipse FAQ</a> in the <a href="http://wiki.eclipse.org/Main_Page">Eclipse |
| Wiki</a> for more information about all aspects of Eclipse. There are |
| also companies available to help with <a |
| href="http://marketplace.eclipse.org/taxonomy/term/34">training and |
| consulting services.</a> In addition, please feel free to post a |
| question on our <a href="/forums/">forums.</a> |
| </p> |
| |
| <h3>Where do I get support?</h3> |
| <p> |
| Everyone is free to open <a href="http://bugs.eclipse.org/bugs/">bugs</a> |
| and <a href="/forums/">ask questions on our forums.</a> There are also |
| companies that offer commercial products built on Eclipse and <a |
| href="http://www.eclipse.org/downloads/">Eclipse distributions</a>. |
| Many of these organizations are able to provide commercial -level |
| support. |
| </p> |
| |
| <h3>How do I get in contact with other Eclipse users?</h3> |
| <p> |
| The best way to get in touch with other Eclipse users is via our <a |
| href="/forums/">forums</a> and <a |
| href="http://bugs.eclipse.org/bugs/">Bugzilla database.</a> This is |
| typically where people ask and answer questions about their favourite |
| Eclipse projects. You can also find individuals blogging about Eclipse |
| on <a href="http://www.planeteclipse.org">PlanetEclipse.org.</a> |
| </p> |
| <p> |
| If you would like to contact the Eclipse Foundation see our <a |
| href="/org/foundation/contact.php">Contact Us section.</a> |
| |
| |
| <h3>What license does Eclipse use?</h3> |
| <p>Eclipse uses the Eclipse Public License (EPL). The EPL is a |
| commercially friendly license that allows organizations to include |
| Eclipse software in their commercial products, while at the same time |
| asking those who create derivative works of EPL code to contribute |
| back to the community.</p> |
| <p> |
| The commercial-friendly nature of the EPL had been proven over and |
| over as hundreds of companies ship Eclipse based products. More |
| information about the EPL can be found in our <a |
| href="/legal/eplfaq.php">Licensing FAQ.</a> |
| </p> |
| |
| <h3>How do I start an Eclipse open source project?</h3> |
| <p> |
| The first step in starting an open source project is to familiarize |
| yourself with the <a href="/projects">existing open source projects.</a> |
| There is a lot of diverse technology being developed at Eclipse, so it |
| might be actually easier to contribute to an existing open source |
| project. If you believe you have a unique technology that is suited |
| for Eclipse, then the first step is to read the Eclipse development |
| process to ensure that the goals of Eclipse align with your interests |
| in creating an open source project. The next step is to contact the |
| Eclipse Management Organization (EMO) to get some help and advice in |
| drafting your proposal. You can contact the EMO via <a |
| href="mailto:emo@eclipse.org">emo at eclipse dot org</a>. |
| </p> |
| |
| <h3>Who is allowed to start an Eclipse open source project?</h3> |
| <p> |
| Eclipse is an open and transparent community of open source projects. |
| We welcome project proposals from all sources. It is important to |
| understand that you do not have to be a member of the Eclipse |
| Foundation to <a |
| href="http://wiki.eclipse.org/Development_Resources/HOWTO/Starting_A_New_Project">start</a> |
| or work on an open source project. |
| </p> |
| |
| |
| <h3>How do I become a member?</h3> |
| <p> |
| To become a member please visit <a href="/membership/become_a_member/">here</a> |
| for detailed instructions. |
| </p> |
| <br /> |
| |
| </div> |