Software & Support Media (publishers of yours truly), the Frankfurt-based publishing house, together with the Eclipse Foundation, is proud to announce that it has joined the Eclipse Foundation as an Associate Member. Software & Support Media has supported and evangelised Eclipse from its infancy with publishing initiatives that have substantially contributed to the dissemination of Eclipse-based information in Europe.

Software & Support Media initiated its commitment to Eclipse by releasing an extensive report in the Java Magazin (www.javamagazin.de), immediately after Eclipse's worldwide launch, positioning itself as one of the first publications to focus on covering the Eclipse ecosystem. Since, Eclipse has been high on Java Magazin's radar. Eclipse is also represented at JAX (www.jax.de), the leading European conference on Enterprise Java hosted by Software & Support Media. In summer 2004, the publishing house issued the first worldwide publication, focused exclusively on Eclipse: the Eclipse Magazin (www.eclipse-magazin.de).

In close collaboration with the Eclipse Foundation, Software & Support Media is hosting the first edition of Eclipse Forum Europe (www.eclipseforumeurope.com) in May (May 8-11, 2006). The Eclipse Forum Europe will provide a professional framework for the European Eclipse Community and the entire Eclipse ecosystem for Eclipse business, technology transfer, networking opportunities, and exchange of experiences.

Many Eclipse Foundation leaders are regular contributors to Software & Support Media's magazine and conference portfolio. Mike Milinkovich, Executive Director of the foundation, and Erich Gamma, Project Lead Eclipse Development Tools, as well as a number of Eclipse experts who realize groundbreaking software projects based on Eclipse are part of Software & Support Media's author and speaker network.

In recognition of the key ideas of businesses and research institutes on the European continent, the publishing house recently initiated the JAX Innovation Award (www.jax-award.com), which rewards innovative European contributions that strongly influence and inspire the Java and Eclipse universe, with prize money worth 20.000 Euros. The prize will be awarded at Eclipse Forum Europe 2006.

"With Software & Support Media, the Eclipse Foundation is gaining an important member which has decisively contributed to the spread of Eclipse and its commercial acceptance with opinion forming competence," says Mike Milinkovich. "The Eclipse ecosystem in Europe will benefit from closer collaboration between the foundation and publisher."

"We are proud to contribute to the success of Eclipse as an Associate Member. We are going to continue delivering top-class information to the Eclipse Community to promote and support the Eclipse users' business competence on the one side and to improve the networking among the Eclipse Community on the other," said Sebastian Meyen, Business Manager Content at Software & Support Media.