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172 changes: 172 additions & 0 deletions docs/design_decisions/DR-002-strat.rst
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Copyright (c) 2026 Contributors to the Eclipse Foundation

See the NOTICE file(s) distributed with this work for additional
information regarding copyright ownership.

This program and the accompanying materials are made available under the
terms of the Apache License Version 2.0 which is available at
https://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0

SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0

DR-002-Strat: Eclipse Project Structure for S-Core
===================================================

- **Date:** 2026-05-22

.. dec_rec:: Eclipse Project Structure for S-Core
:id: dec_rec__strat__eclipse_project_structure
:status: accepted
:context: Strategy
:decision: Option 1

Context / Problem
-----------------

S-Core needs to decide how its modules are structured within the Eclipse Foundation and GitHub.
Two organisational models are under consideration: keeping all modules within one Eclipse project
(the current approach), or splitting each module into a separate Eclipse project.

The choice has implications for community governance, Committer nomination processes, GitHub
organisation management, and the long-term risk to the S-Core v1.0 release.
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The dicision on wether S-CORE is a platform or a reference integration (i.e. *Supports the idea: "S-Core is a platform"* (e.g. same as Android) and *Supports the idea: "S-Core is a pure integration project"* (e.g. same as Yocto) respectively) was already discussed in DR-001-strat and should therefore be added to the context here.

IMO this DR should only focus on how we can "implement" this decision in a GitHub organization and according to the Eclipse Handbook.


Options Considered
------------------

Option 1: One Eclipse Project (currently used)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

*Supports the idea: "S-Core is a platform"* (e.g. same as Android)

All S-Core relevant modules reside together in one GitHub organisation under one Eclipse project.

.. uml::
:align: center
:caption: Option 1 – One Eclipse project containing all S-Core repositories

skinparam componentStyle rectangle

component "eclipse" as ef <<Eclipse Foundation>> {
component "eclipse-score" as org <<GitHub Organisation>> {
component "score" as score
component "feo" as feo
component "baselibs" as baselibs
component "logging" as logging
component "persistence" as persistence
component "process_description" as proc
component "docs-as-code" as dac
}
}

score -[hidden]right- feo
feo -[hidden]right- baselibs
baselibs -[hidden]right- logging
score -[hidden]down- persistence
persistence -[hidden]right- proc
proc -[hidden]right- dac

**Pros**

- All S-Core relevant modules are together in one GitHub organisation → it is immediately visible
what belongs to the S-Core project.
- One infrastructure, one timeline, one community → things are kept together.
- One authority (PLs) for all modules that can ensure the same behaviour for all modules.

**Cons**

- Eclipse Foundation project handbook rules were not designed for such big projects. This leads
among others to the following problems:

- It is typically not possible to nominate initial Committers for newly contributed modules.
- The Committer model does not completely scale for such big projects. Having a large number of
modules in one Eclipse project leads to the necessity of having a big number of Committers
with various areas of responsibility.

- Community management and building is more complicated due to the size of the project.
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Why is this listed as a con here? No matter if we use separate GH orgs or one GH org the community that we need to be able to establish and steer is the same (according to DR 1 start).


**Possible mitigation**

- Eclipse Foundation and PMC must acknowledge and agree that new modules in S-Core are treated
as new Eclipse projects for the purpose of initial Committer nomination.
- Mapping/restricting of Committer responsibilities in the project to dedicated areas is done
using the CODEOWNERS file in GitHub (already in place).

Option 2: Multiple Eclipse Projects
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

*Supports the idea: "S-Core is a pure integration project"* (e.g. same as Yocto)

Every module becomes its own Eclipse project; a central S-Core project serves as the integration
project.

.. uml::
:align: center
:caption: Option 2 – Multiple Eclipse projects, S-Core as the central integration project

top to bottom direction
skinparam componentStyle rectangle

component "eclipse (parent)" as ef_parent <<Eclipse Foundation>> {
component "eclipse-score / score\n(integration project)" as score_central
}

component "eclipse A" as ef_a <<Eclipse Foundation>> {
component "... / baselibs" as baselibs
}

component "eclipse B" as ef_b <<Eclipse Foundation>> {
component "... / logging" as logging
}

component "eclipse ..." as ef_n <<Eclipse Foundation>> {
component "..." as more
}

score_central <.. baselibs : sub-project
score_central <.. logging : sub-project
score_central <.. more : sub-project

**Pros**

- Every module is a "small" Eclipse project, which is exactly what the Eclipse Foundation project
handbook is built for → Clear Committer/Contributor/PL management.

**Cons**

- Every project is a completely standalone project. The S-Core project PLs do not have tools to
manage the separate Eclipse projects with implementation modules, which creates a significant
risk that the S-Core community could fracture.
- Every module/project has its own GitHub Organisation → enforcing the same rules and processes
is complicated; belonging to S-Core project is not obvious.

**Possible mitigation**

- S-Core becomes a "parent project" and all other S-Core relevant modules become sub-projects.
This would make it clear that the modules are part of the S-Core project and it would still
be easily possible to follow Eclipse project handbook rules for every sub-project, e.g. for
initial Committer nomination.
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I dont see this as a mitigation - the cons here would still apply. I see it rather as the only possible option 2 because we already decided that we are targeting a consistent stack that needs central processes and management.

- The Eclipse Foundation technically enables S-Core and all sub-projects/modules to be located
within the same GitHub organisation.

Conclusion
----------

**We proceed with Option 1 and initiate a Proof of Concept for Option 2.**

Rationale
^^^^^^^^^

- There are currently no major blockers that would make the switch to Option 2 obligatory.
- Switching the structure of the project and module repositories poses a high risk for the
S-Core v1.0 release, which is planned for the end of the year.
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Does this DR establish Option 1 as the intended outcome or Option 2 (with a transition via Option 1)?

If Option 1 is the intended target I don't see the reason to do a PoC for Option 2.


Follow-up Actions
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

- **X-Core approaches Eclipse Foundation**: Eclipse Foundation and PMC must acknowledge and agree
that new modules in S-Core are treated as new Eclipse projects for the purpose of initial
Committer nomination.
- **POC for Option 2**: The OpenSOVD project and its integration into S-Core will be used as a
Proof of Concept (POC) for Option 2.
- The topic should be revisited after the S-Core v1.0 release is delivered.
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