Is using the Netbeans Platform or Eclipse RCP overkill in this situation?

Question

Exactly how much bloat does using a platform like the Netbeans Platform or Eclipse RCP actually add to your application? I am trying to decide if it is really neccessary for me to use it. I will only be using a very small amount of the functionality actually provided by the framework, all of which are relatively easy to implement from scratch.

All I basically need is some form of plugin management, where users code their libraries according to an API and my program can locate their services. This is easy enough to implement from scratch in a few lines of code. Further than that, I will need to do some 2D graphics work where widgets can be dragged and dropped etc. Does these two requirements make a strong enough case to use a framework? I am actually leaning more towards just doing it myself.

Thanks.

Answer 1

If you are considering a writing your own plugin solution, I would highly recommend going with Eclipse's implementation of OSGi through the RCP. OSGi is rock solid, and handles things like alternate versions of the same library and all sorts of class-path issues. This will help your plugin providers, since they won't have to worry about what other libraries are present. This is much better than dropping a bunch of jars into the same classpath.