Eclipse update vs new installation

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Taking advantage of the SR2 release hook from Eclipse Kepler (now on the 28/02) I am opening a topic to discuss a problem much like "Should I do a new clean installation or upgrade of my operating system?". The decision between a clean install vs update in-place of the Eclipse.

The first is a more "secure" and laborious option, where a clean installation of the IDE and reinstallation of all plug-ins. The second is certainly simpler, rely on the Eclipse update mechanism following the route:

Help > Check for updates...

I know a fresh installation for a release maintenance may sound like an exaggeration, but I was one of the unlucky ones who had problems with updates in previous versions of Eclipse. But for all purposes we can also discuss upgrades amid releases:

In no way am I raising something that considers a problem of "the" Eclipse, because a large part of the plug-ins that I am using are out of control of the group (just as much of the Software Installed in an OS is out of control of the manufacturer).

I am interested in updating strategies in practical terms. What is your practice of updating? How often does it?

This way, I would like to ask you about the best practices and processes adopted for the Eclipse update. How to handle IDE updates?

  • Download a new release, discard plug-ins, workspaces and start from scratch? (Equivalent to clean installation of an OS by formatting the hard drive)
  • Download a new release, install all the plug-ins but keep the workspaces? (Equivalent to maintaining the partition /home during a upgrade so)
  • Download a new release but try to keep plug-ins, Features, etc? (Equivalent to a fresh installation on an unformatted partition)?
  • Updating in-place through P2 repositories (equivalent to in-place upgrade of OS)?
  • N.D.A.?

I am especially interested to know how Eclipse users focused on Stacks Open Source, with installations containing several plug-ins from several suppliers (say, plug-ins Red Hat, Pivotal, Google, Typesafe, as well as smaller suppliers) handle upgrade processes and upgrades of the IDE.

The way for users of large proprietary packages like OEPE and RAD is usually different, but opinions are also welcome.

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Well, since there was no answer I will share what I have accumulated knowledge.

Before updating always backup your installation and your Workspace.

In my specific case the upgrade to SR2 version of Eclipse Kepler was transparent and did not break any plug-in (or at least didn’t break anything I wear on a daily basis).

Anyway, the first time I opened my Workspace ancient the views were corrupted and some Features did not work, showing windows with stacktraces of mistakes. I recreated the Workspace, made the relevant settings and reimported all projects, from that moment everything worked correctly.

About upgrades amid releases

The provisioning system Equinox/P2 makes it work to detect and update dependencies, as well as to alert the user about incompatible packages / dependencies that cannot be resolved.

In accordance with FAQ of Eclipse the standard mechanism for upgrading would actually be in-place, adding the repository URL of the most current version of Eclipse (e. g., , http://download.eclipse.org/releases/kepler/) and looking for new updates.

That said, given the enormity of the Eclipse ecosystem, they warn about the possibility of updates and upgrades are not possible, creating need for a clean installation. Making a free translation of the FAQ:

Occasionally, you will not be able to update the Eclipse or certain Features due to incompatible changes in technology update. In these cases you will need to download a new installation. Download a new version of download of Eclipse (http://www.eclipse.org/downloads) and unzip it into a new directory. We strongly recommend against unzip over an existing version of Eclipse since effects unexpected side effects may occur, including (but not limited to): nausea, vomiting, shortness of breath and corrupted installation.

Full update instructions are always included in the file readme_eclipse.html included in each Eclipse installation in the directory readme.

In the case of Kepler read me alert for users to copy the Workspace to a new folder because it opens the Workspace in a newer version of eclipse means that you will have compatibility issues with the Workspace in previous versions.

Another two points from read me about migration are:

  1. The existence of the key -DresolveReferencedLibrariesForContainers=true to include JARS referenced in Classpath
  2. Packages installed manually via folders plugins and droppings may stop working after installation, it is recommended to always install them through the Eclipse menu to receive possible alerts about incompatibilities.

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