Creating applications for multiple devices and platforms is no simple task but a recent release from the Eclipse Foundation makes it easier for developers to find the SDKs they need.

The Eclipse Pulsar platform was released in October 2009 and includes a portfolio of application development tools as well as SDKs from Nokia, Motorola, Sony Ericsson and Ericsson.

Eclipse Pulsar is available from the Eclipse Foundation, a non-for profit organization whose aim is to foster an open-source mobile developer community. Ian Skerrett, director of marketing for the Ottawa-based foundation says that the project started because many in the developer community wanted to create applications for multiple handsets and networks but needed to go to different sources to get the tools they needed.

“We saw a need for a common toolset and wanted to make it as easy as possible for developers to find the necessary SDKs.”

The Eclipse Pulsar platform includes technology for mobile application development such Java Development Tools (JDT) and the Plugin Devolvement Environment (PDE). It also includes a utility for downloading and updating SDKs from different vendors.

The latest version of the Eclipse Pulsar platform was released in October 2009 and includes SDKs from Ericsson and Sony Ericsson.

Elena Fersman, product manager at Ericsson Developer Connection says that Ericsson’s SDK enables mobile developers to enhance their applications with telecom capabilities. “Our goal of trying to simplify the development process is well aligned with the Eclipse Pulsar initiative.”

Since its launch in June 2009, there have been about 60,000 downloads of the Eclipse Pulsar platform.

Eclipse originally started in 2001 as a project within IBM but was later spun off in 2004 as a non-profit organization. Skerrett says that the Foundation’s focus today is on the community of Java developers but they also have plans to address additional languages such as C++ and applications for web environments.

Skerrett says that the ultimate goal of any open-source community is to build a network that actively contributes in the form of patches and bug fixes. “There is a life cycle in these communities – first you get adopters, then contributors.”

By David Francisco