Real-Time Shared Editing

In ECF 2.0.0/Ganymede, we introduce Real-Time Shared Editing that works over public IM protocols like Google Talk/XMPP and Skype. This allows two developers to work collaboratively in real-time to edit source code and/or documents with change conflicts resolved in real time. Usage documentation as well as links to technical documentation and source code are available here. There is also a video showing the usage of the technology available.

Adding Real-Time Shared Editing to Other Text Editors

It's possible to add real-time shared editing capabilities to other editors, and documentation on how to do this is now available here.

r-OSGi added as ECF Remote Services provider

We have added an implementation of the ECF remote services API based upon r-OSGi. This implementation allows clients to access and use distributed OSGi services.

Remote services may be accessed in either of two ways:

1. Transparently, via the OSGi service registry. With transparent remote service access, clients can access both local and remote services in exactly the same way, by looking up ServiceReferences and the underlying service via the BundleContext.getServiceReference(..) or by using a ServiceTracker.
2. Explicitly, via the ECF remote services API. This way of accessing the remote service allows clients to have greater control over how they invoke remote methods and handing of partial failure. For example, the ECF IRemoteService interface allows clients to use advanced asynchronous and asynchronous-with-listener remote method invocation, as well as create and use future results.

This provider includes consists of two bundles

1. r-OSGi RC 2 itself in plugin ch.ethz.iks.r_osgi.remote. Click here to browse source.
2. An implementation of the ECF remote services API based upon 1. In plugin org.eclipse.ecf.provider.r_osgi. Click here to browse source.

There is example and test code available for the r-OSGi provider (and the ECF generic provider) available here.

Discovery API

ECF Core and Filetransfer plugins added to Eclipse Platform for P2

ECF's core (org.eclipse.ecf, org.eclipse.ecf.identity) and filetransfer (org.eclipse.ecf.filetransfer, org.eclipse.ecf.provider.filetransfer, org.eclipse.ecf.ssl, org.eclipse.ecf.provider.filetransfer.ssl) have been added to the Eclipse Platform distribution for usage in P2, the new Equinox Provisioning system.

Service Locator Protocol

We have added a jSLP-based implementation of the ECF discovery API. See bug 200804 for details.

Peer-to-Peer Updatesite Discovery

Peer-to-Peer Remote Services

• (s) = synchronously -- block calling thread until service host responds
• (a) = asynchronously -- calling thread does not block and result is provided via notification to a listener
• (f) = future -- calling thread does not block, and an instance of IAsynchResult is returned immediately Receiver can inspect IAsynchResult for completion.
• (p) = proxy -- calling thread calls a proxy instance of service interface) with normal call/return semantics

These access methods are made available via the ECF IRemoteService.

Note that the proxy can also be accessed directly in the OSGi service registry via BundleContext.getServiceReference() or a ServiceTracker. In this way, if complete API transparency is desired by the programmer, then the remote service can be transparently accessed.

Note also that we currently have provider implementations of the remote services API based upon ECF generic (included in ECF), XMPP (included in ECF), ActiveMQ and BEA Weblogic-based JMS implementations (found here), and a Javagroups-based implementation (found here). We also have a pending contribution of the r-OSGI-based provider, expected to be included in ECF milestone 6 pending Eclipse Foundation IP approval (CQs 2063 and 2064).

URL and Eclipse View sharing

Screen Captures sent through IM

ECF API Changes

FileTransfer API Enhanced

P2/Eclipse Platform used ECF Filetransfer

ECF's File Transfer API is now being used by the Equinox P2 effort and so along the ECF core plugins are included in the Eclipse SDK (org.eclipse.ecf.*.jar).

Discovery API