Eclipse, a platform for building applications, was originally aimed at Web

application and image manipulation. With the release of Eclipse 3.0 there has

been a shift to the use of Eclipse as a Rich Client Platform (RCP). In other

words, using Eclipse as a base for everyday generic applications from media

players to productivity and desktop applications. Thinking of Eclipse as not

just an IDE but a platform for all application building is an evolution for the

platform and significantly extends its reach to developers. In this book the

designers of Eclipse as an RCP introduces the reader to the RCP concept and

walks them through a set of scenarios and examples using Eclipse to solve real

world, application problems. This will appeal to all developers who want to

develop and deploy world-class applications with rich, native GUIs.

Development areas that are already using Eclipse RCP include bio-medical,

embedded technology (handhelds, etc), enterprise and productivity applications

and banking.