Eclipse, NetBeans Not Always at Odds

Source: eWeek.com

Summary:
To exploit emerging java-based technologies, developers enjoy an expanding arsenal of tools that increasingly rest on one of two open-source foundations: Eclipse and NetBeans.

This year's JavaOne conference in San Francisco marked significant advances for both of these developer offerings, and eWEEK Labs found proponents of both efforts in surprising agreement that their work is more complementary than competitive.

Software teams should appreciate the contribution that each camp can make to enterprise development efforts.

The more versatile and more broadly supported offering is the Eclipse platform, maintained since February of last year by the nonprofit Eclipse Foundation.

That group encountered initial skepticism about its ability to get out of the shadow of IBM, which was, by far, the biggest player in the eclipse.org consortium when it was formed in November 2001.

Now that seems less of a concern, as the Eclipse Foundation last month welcomed its 100th member, NEC Corp.—with revenues nearly half IBM's.

Every Eclipse Foundation member agrees to produce a commercial Eclipse-based offering within 12 months of joining the consortium.

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