• Share this article:

Ed Merks, EclipseCon 2009, and Modeling

Friday, January 16, 2009 - 13:32 by Wayne Beaton

There are many things that I enjoy in this world. It probably goes without saying that among those topmost enjoyable things is watching my sons pick up the loose puck and make a play for the net.

Somewhere close to the top of my list of things that I enjoy comes talking to Ed Merks. Now it would be disingenuous to suggest that I like talking to Ed more than, say, hanging out with my family, or getting paid on a regular basis, but I can say without reservation, that I truly enjoy listening to Ed speak and I really look forward to those all-too-few chances we get to chat. Ed is, of course, a regular presenter at numerous conferences which is where I normally get to see him. Here’s a shot of him presenting at Eclipse Summit Europe 2008.

I believe that I took this shot during the panel at the end of the conference: just one fine example of Ed’s prominence within the Eclipse Community. Ed spoke a few times at Eclipse Summit; there, and everywhere, he always manages to fill the room. I particularly enjoyed his talk titled “The Unbearable Stupidity of Modeling”. Here here is presenting to the crowded main hall at the Summit:

I had an opportunity to record a podcast with Ed this past Wednesday. Ed, along with Rich Gronback, represented the interests of the modeling community on the EclipseCon 2009 Programme Committee. The result is an awesome Modeling Track that collects together some great modeling tutorials with a great many wonderful talks. Ed spoke briefly about one of his own talks, selected for the main stage, The Unbearable Stupidity of Modeling, in which he uses comedy to explode many of the entrenched myths that surround modeling.

We end the podcast with a discussion of the modeling project and, in particular, some of the exciting and new developments. One thing that we neglected to discuss is the latest edition of the Eclipse Modeling Framework book. I got my copy a few days ago:

I haven’t put it into my bookshelf yet. That’ll have to wait a few more days. I’ll have to find a scary Ajax book to put it beside.

EclipseCon 2009 Early Registration ends February 14th. Get your sweetie something really nice for Valentine’s day: an EclipseCon registration.

I hope you enjoy the podcast.