The Helios release of Buckminster has the following new and noteworthy features available in 3.6M7
- Support for Git - uses, updates, or clones git repository as needed
- Headless JUnit and EclEmma (code coverage) support
- Comprehensive documentation available - introduction, examples, and reference. Download PDF, 250 pages, includes descriptions of the new features described here.
- Graphical dependency visualizer - resolutions can be viewed and navigated/filtered with a Zest based viewer
- Much improved target platform support - using new features in PDE to automatically manage/materialize target platform config
- Provisioning and management of API baseline
- New EMF based editors for MSPEC and RMAP - much easier to use than editing XML
- Reader type for Project Set (.psf) files - makes it easy to integrate or migrate projects that are using .psf files to describe where the source is
- p2 repository size reduction to 1/3 using improved pack200 support
- OmniVersion support - the support for non OSGi version has been changed to use the p2 OmniVersion implementation for increased flexibility - backwards compatible with Buckminster version-type, version scheme used in earlier versions.
- Qualifier generator using Build Identifier - use a property to control the content of a version qualifier
- LDAP style filters on RMAP providers, CQUERY advisors, and MSPEC nodes - makes it possible to parameterize more things, reduces the need for multiple slightly different copies of these files.
- Smart version range generation for feature 'includes' - heuristics result in natural choices
- Support for category.xml files - the new PDE mechanism for categorizing result in p2 repository is supported
- Headless 'install JRE' support
- Better defaults often renders the MSEPC unnecessary - automatic materialization to Target Platform for binaries often removes the need to use a MSPEC.
- Using new p2 API, p2 'pure' reader, and using separate p2 agent - reduces risk of contamination of the running instance's p2 data.
