Lifecycle tool integration is a key issue for the new breed of tools emerging around the concepts of Agile ALM. Eclipse is a great platform for tools integration on the desktop but how do tools integrate on the server? OSLC and Eclipse Lyo are a specification and open source implementation for solving lifecycle tools integration.
Michael Fiedler and Steve Speicher will be talking about OSLC and Eclipse Lyo at the upcoming Agile ALM Connect conference. To introduce people to the Agile ALM Connect speakers and topics, I will be doing a short Q&A with some of the speakers. Below Michael and Steve provide some background on OSLC and Eclipse Lyo.
1. What is OSLC and why does the industry need OSLC?
OSLC (Open Services for Lifecycle Integration) is an open community dedicated to reducing barriers for lifecycle tool integration. The community authors scenarios and specifications for exposing application lifecycle data (change requests, test cases, requirements, etc) through uniform interfaces which rely on the architecture of the World Wide Web and Linked Data standards.
Organizations use a variety of lifecycle tools – commercial, open source and those developed in house – which need to share data, resources and assets. Current integration approaches are often based on fragile and proprietary point-to-point APIs. Tools adopting OSLC can interoperate easily using a linked data approach which enables loosely-coupled integrations with improved quality, navigation and traceability of shared data.
2. How would you like people or companies to contribute to the Eclipse Lyo project?
Individuals and companies are welcome to participate in both the Eclipse Lyo project and in the OSLC workgroups. The Lyo project is looking for developers interested in promoting OSLC adoption by developing SDKs, reference implementations, compliance tests and examples. OSLC workgroups develop integration scenarios and specifications to address different aspects of the system and software lifecycle (requirements, development, test, etc). Workgroup participation is open and is a great way to learn more about OSLC and contribute to new and evolving specifications.
3. What is the best resource to start using OSLC and Eclipse Lyo?
Getting started with Eclipse Lyo and OSLC is easy. To get started with Lyo, visit the Wiki on eclipse.org (http://wiki.eclipse.org/Lyo) to get an overview of the project. To participate in Lyo development, you can start by introducing yourself on the development mailing list, lyo-dev@eclipse.org. To participate in OSLC, visit http://open-services.net/participate and join in the discussions on the forums, mailing lists and workgroup meetings.
Ian Skerrett 
Nice post about OSLC.