Eclipse tools for systems engineering in 2023
The Eclipse Foundation is a non-profit organization that is primarily known as an open source development environment for Java programming. However, Eclipse is a platform on which many systems engineering tools are based. A few years ago (2020), the Foundation established a separate non-profit organization in Europe to better serve the needs of the continent.
What has happened since then? And above all: What interesting projects are there at Eclipse for systems engineers? Here are the latest developments.
Eclipse for systems engineering
About many interesting Eclipse projects I have already reported on this in the past. A "veteran" is certainly Papyrusa UML tool. However, only a few companies use Papyrus, and even then only with significant adaptations.
On the other hand ReqIF Studioa ReqIF editor that I co-developed, has become the standard tool for finding problems when exchanging requirements.
For an SysML v2 interested there is an Eclipse-based Reference implementationwhich I also recently presented here.
Last year I introduced µRTEa tool inspired by SysML but more lightweight for the development and maintenance of system architecture. The tool is based on Eclipse, but is not managed by the Eclipse Foundation.
Software Defined Vehicle
The automotive industry has been using Eclipse for some time, especially Artop for AUTOSAR. There is also a separate Papyrus version for automotive. Automotive engineers also use Eclipse as a development environment for C and C++. Eclipse Trace Compass can display and analyze trace and log data and debug embedded systems.
One initiative that is particularly relevant for Germany as a business location is the Software Defined Vehicle. This consists of several interlinked projects. The aim is to create a platform for vehicles defined by software. The quality should be qualified for installation in vehicles.
Many large corporations are behind this ambitious vision. Of the five strategic members, four are German automotive manufacturers or suppliers:
We are pleased to support the 'code first' approach of Eclipse SDV by contributing Eclipse eCAL: a scalable middleware that enables efficient communication in distributed systems. Continental looks forward to working with the community to develop innovative solutions for the Software-Defined Vehicle.
Michael Huelsewies, Head of Architecture and Software at Continental Automotive
Eclipse in figures
The most important question for interested users is certainly: How many Eclipse-based projects are there? And which of them are actually up-to-date or suitable for productive use?
In 2023, there were 418 Eclipse projects (not all with their own tools). There are also many tools that are based on Eclipse but are not managed by the Eclipse Foundation.
Eclipse Foundation Annual Report 2023
In 2022, 31 new projects were founded. At the same time, the Foundation regularly checks whether inactive projects can be archived. In this respect, the list of 418 active projects should not contain any "dead bodies". It would be interesting to find out how many Commits per year flow into the Eclipse repositories. Unfortunately, I could not find this metric. After all, in 2023 there were almost 2000 active committers. The managed code consists of about 437 million lines of code
One of the aims of the European Foundation was to dovetail with research. There are currently 11 active research projects in this regard.
Strategic memberships
The Eclipse Foundation has various memberships. The strategic members have a particularly strong influence. The following list of current members shows a significant proportion of companies practicing systems engineering from the aviation, aerospace, IT and telecommunications sectors.
Conclusion
Eclipse will still be relevant in 2023. Not only that: due to its strategic positioning in Europe, I assume that we will regularly see new and exciting initiatives, such as SDV. Eclipse and open source in systems engineering are alive and kicking.
Image source: Wikimedia
Source Quote from Basem Vaseghi: Eclipse Foundation
