The Eclipse 4 Application Platform explained

"The Eclipse 4 Application Platform is the core runtime framework the next generation of the Eclipse SDK is built upon."

How does Eclipse 4.x differ from 3.x architecturally? 

• The 3.x ui.workbench has been replaced by the 4.x ui.workbench and the Eclipse 4.x App Platform

PDE	PDE
JDT	JDT
3.x	4.x
	Eclipse 4.x App Platform
Equinox	Equinox

• 90% similar code base between Eclipse 3.x and 4.x SDK

The Eclipse 4.x Application Platform is composed of the following:

• Application Services
• Dependency Injection
• Workbench model

Programming now POJOs with annotation

• This means that there is no such thing as a View or an Editor anymore, just Parts.

What is subject of injection:

• IEclipseContext-hierarchy
• preferences
• OSGI stuff

 Application model comparable to DOM

• allows runtime modification

Resources should come from an IResourcePool

• manages disposal

Locale support

• @Translation replaces resource bundles / NLS. Can be externalized, he used Google translation service.

Dependency Injection

• DI of OSGi service does not yet handle dynamics.
• DI does make debugging more difficult...trade-off for the advantages of DI