The Eclipse IDE has been a cornerstone of the open source software development community for decades. Backed by the Eclipse IDE Working Group – supported by 12 companies since 2021 and fueled by a passionate community of over 200 contributors – we continue to deliver a stable release every quarter, with more than 118 million lines of code.
But Eclipse IDE is more than just an IDE – it is a Rich Client Platform (RCP), an extensible foundation that powers some of the most extraordinary products in the world. From space systems, avionics, and transportation to embedded solutions and critical medical devices, the Eclipse Platform continues to be a key component in industries where reliability and innovation are non-negotiable.
Millions of users still rely on this platform every day, even as we recognize that many developers have turned to other IDEs – solutions that are often not truly open source and come with high licensing costs.
However, 2024 marks a turning point for Eclipse IDE, one that will define its future. We are at the beginning of a major technical renovation – a transformation that has been carefully planned and initiated by the members of the Eclipse IDE Working Group. After successfully addressing key performance improvements throughout 2023, we are now embarking on the Grand Project of 2024: a fully modern, platform-agnostic version of the Eclipse IDE, with a renovated user experience and browser compliance.
This ambitious effort has been named "Initiative 31"
2024: The Launch of Initiative 31
In 2024, the Eclipse IDE Working Group initiated a groundbreaking project to reimagine the IDE for the future. The goal? A truly OS-agnostic, modernized, and browser-compliant user experience.
Under the leadership of Heiko Klare, the Technical Lead of this initiative, we began evaluating three technologies for this ambitious SWT layer modernization effort:
- Skia
- Swing
- GTK4
This evaluation is at the heart of what we call "Initiative 31" – a project that will impact the future of the Eclipse IDE. Only one technology will emerge as the foundation of our next-generation user interface.
The Power of the Community: A Story of Momentum
At EclipseCon 2024, Heiko Klare unveiled the early results of Initiative 31. The energy from the community was extraordinary:
- Despite being scheduled early in the morning, the room was packed to capacity
- Inspired by the presentation, we organized a Birds of a Feather (BoF) session that same evening. We expected 25 attendees… and nearly 70 passionate contributors and users joined the conversation! (photo below)
The message was clear: The Eclipse IDE matters. Developers want a modern, open source, high-performance IDE that bridges the gap between desktop-based and cloud-based development environments.
The momentum continued on November 28, when we hosted a Community Call to share progress on Initiative 31. More than 100 participants answered to the call, demonstrating once again the enthusiasm and commitment of the Eclipse IDE community.
Your Call to Action: Join Us in Shaping SWT and the Future of Initiative
Now is the time for you – the developers, contributors, and users who care about the Eclipse Platform, and everything built on it, wever it is a Modeling Tool, an RCP based product or the IDE itself – to get involved.
- Watch the Community Call Presentation: Dive into the Initiative 31 evaluations and SWT modernization efforts with Heiko Klare, Initiative 31 Lead: Watch on youtube here.
- Explore the Project on GitHub: Follow the progress, contribute, and share your thoughts: https://github.com/swt-initiative31
- Reach Out to Us: If you want to learn more, don’t hesitate to connect with us through our chat room: https://matrix.to/#/#swt-initiative-31:matrix.eclipse.org
The road ahead is exciting, and we are just getting started. The modernization of the Eclipse IDE is a community effort, and your input, support, and contributions will play a critical role in shaping its success.
Now is your moment – whether you're a developer, contributor, or user who values the Eclipse Platform, its Modeling Tools, RCP-based products, or the IDE itself.
Because every generation has a chance to build its dream open source IDE platform, and this is yours!
Thomas Froment
Program Manager, Eclipse IDE
