[jbosstools-dev] Included features considered harmful (AS, BPEL, jBPM & JSF, please read)

[Mickael Istria]

Hi all,

As I am working on https://issues.jboss.org/browse/JBIDE-8838 (add 
source features to build), I noticed this bug in the mechanics we want 
to use: https://bugs.eclipse.org/bugs/show_bug.cgi?id=374663 
(tycho-source-feature-plugin does not resolve remote source features). 
But I also noticed that some of you (namely AS, BPEL, jBPM & JSF) do use 
included features in your features.
Included features are a kind of anti-pattern for us. The "inclusion" is 
a very strict relationship that is resolved at build-time and that locks 
version for features. Included features have static versions when it 
comes to installing and this can be a source of p2 screed. I think you 
can always replace this "inclusion" relationship by a "dependency" 
relationship in your feature.xml. Dependencies are resolved at 
install-time, and it allow people to perform updates without pain.

I'm totally in favor of replacing inclusions by dependencies. I will do 
it for the components listed above. However, I may miss a point that 
could justify the inclusion over the dependency. If yes, please tell me 
quickly why you did made that choice and why it wouldn't work with 
dependencies.
I'm looking for concrete and current issues you have met with 
dependencies that are solved by inclusion.

Cheers
-- 
Mickael Istria
Eclipse developer at JBoss, by Red Hat <http://www.jboss.org/tools>
My blog <http://mickaelistria.wordpress.com> - My Tweets 
<http://twitter.com/mickaelistria>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://lists.jboss.org/pipermail/jbosstools-dev/attachments/20120319/b9943434/attachment.html