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Eclipse RCP vs. NetBeans Platform

Kai Tödter, a Principal Engineer at Siemens Corporate Technology, had a recent conversation with Geertjan about his experiences porting an Eclipse RCP application to the NetBeans Platform. "In the discussion, Kai describes how he encountered all the major NetBeans APIs, which resulted in his being able to compare them to their equivalents in the Eclipse world. "Right now, when I get to coach or assist in making platform choices, I would present both, Eclipse RCP and NetBeans Platform, because, as I said before, there are use cases where the NetBeans Platform would be a truly excellent choice."

Kai started the comparison with extensive experience using Eclipse RCP. He also considered other projects such as the Spring Rich Client Project both starting his look at Netbeans. In terms of the development experience he found Eclipse RCP easier to use. Changes made to the source are quickly reflected in the applications. Netbeans on the other hand ran numerous ANT scripts taking up to 45 seconds per change/test cycle. Todter did like the Netbeans resource and node management APIs noting that they could easily be used in domain specific applications. Branding support (splash screens, etc) in Netbeans was easier than in Eclipse RCP but more basic in terms of options. He also praised the professional looking appearance of the Netbeans docking system.

Kai explains that one needs to consider many aspects when choosing a Java rich client platform. He argues that no platform fits all use cases. With his Eclipse MP3 manager/player now ported to the NetBeans Platform, Kai is now working to make the source available. He and Geertjan are also planning on preparing a 1:1 feature analysis to illustrate the pros and cons that they feel should be considered when choosing between the two platforms.

In terms of concerns Todter felt that the application lifecycle support in Netbeans Platform could be improved in comparison to Eclipse RCP. He also noted that platform best practice information was difficult to find online. In terms of choosing which one to use Netbeans Platform would be worth serious consideration if porting an existing Swing application or desiring custom look and feel features. In comparison serious consideration should be give to Eclipse RCP if native look and feel fidelity is a high priority.

http://blogs.sun.com/geertjan/entry/eclipse_platform_vs_netbeans_platform

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