UX/IDE

Work in progress.

This page is concerned with capturing user experience requirements for Eclipse-based IDE packages in Mars.

Installation

Windows

Via Installer

Download the installer, eclipse-installer.exe

Double-click to launch.

Automatically unpacks, configures itself, and updates as necessary.

If a JRE cannot be found, provide help so that the user can download an install an appropriate JVM. Give preference to Java 8.

Starts in "simple" mode.

Simple Mode

The diagrams here are intended to provide a technology-agnostic overview of the potental workflow/storyboard of the installation experience.

Simple installer workflow (click to see animation)

1. Select a "base" package definition
   
2. Configure default preferences (see bug 421702)
   
3. Specify location, launcher, desktop icon (with reasonable defaults)
   
4. Ask user to register an Eclipse Foundation account (optional)
   
5. Click "Finish"

After installation, installer quits and all temporary files are removed (only the exe remains).

Review the installer UI workflow prototype on EclipseLabs.

Advanced Mode

• Select a package definition
• Select a workspace configuration
• Allow customization of every setting
• Configure default preferences
• Ask user if an icon should be added to the desktop
• Ask user to register an Eclipse Foundation account (optional)

Launching

The installer adds a standard launch entry/icon to the start menu and (optionally, based on the user's selection during installation) the desktop (see bug 459589).

Notes:

• Remember user state; e.g. if the user switches to advanced mode, open in that mode on subsequent launches
• The preferences configuration should be a single page (or a small number of pages with groups of preferences)
  • The first time through, the changes made by the user to the defaults is retained
  • On subsequent launches, the user should be given the option (on by default) to override their defaults with changed values (only if there are changes)
• Remember if the user has already registered for an account; don't ask again

Bundle Pools

By default, all installations use bundle pools. This can only be turned off in advanced mode.

The bundle pool currently manifests as a USER_HOME/.p2 directory. The average user attaches no meaning to "p2"; should the bundle pool be placed under USER_HOME/.eclipse by default? (see bug 461049).

Questions

• Is there value in asking a user to "login" if they already have an account?
  • Not sure if there is value in logging in during installation
• What is the default install location?
• What about shared installs?
  • Are we only concerned with user-specific installation?

Via Packages

The standard packages download is available as an option.

The old limitation of the build-in decompression software in Windows failing on the long file names in our package downloads is still an issue.

Use a robust decompression software package to decompress the package download into the directory of choice.

Double-click on the eclipse.exe to launch.

Linux

Via Fedora Software Repository

Use standard Linux software repositories to install official release versions of Eclipse (see bug 442591).

On Fedora:

yum install eclipse-jdt eclipse-cdt eclipse-egit

and

yum update eclipse-jdt ...

Via Packages

Download installation/configuration tool from the eclipse.org website. There is no native executable so the download must be unpacked and executed.

• Consider adding the installer to the Fedora repository.

Adding Features

Add features via the Eclipse Marketplace and Simultaneous Release Catalogue (see bug 459905).