Eclipse Platform

The Eclipse platform itself is structured as subsystems which are implemented in one or more plug-ins.  The subsystems are built on top of a small runtime engine. The figure below depicts a simplified view.

Platform runtime base with groups of plug-ins adding function

Workbench

The term Workbench refers to the desktop development environment. The Workbench aims to achieve seamless tool integration and controlled openness by providing a common paradigm for the creation, management, and navigation of workspace resources.

Each Workbench window contains one or more perspectives.  Perspectives contain views and editors and control what appears in certain menus and tool bars.  More than one Workbench window can exist on the desktop at any given time.

Related concepts
Features
Resources
Perspectives
Views
Editors
CVS Repositories

Related tasks
Installing new features with the update manager
Opening perspectives
Opening views
Switching between perspectives
Configuring perspectives

Related reference
Toolbar buttons