What can I do with GMF?

Using GMF, you can produce graphical editors for Eclipse. For example, a UML modeling tool, workflow editor, etc. Basically, a graphical editing surface for any domain model in EMF you'd like. For some example eyecandy, visit the gallery.

How can I get started using GMF?

For the tooling side, the tutorial is a good place to start. For the runtime, which can be used without the tooling, an article posted here is a good place to get an overview. For more information, take a look at the documentation available on the documentation site.

What are the advantages of using GMF over just EMF and GEF?

This depends on what you are trying to accomplish. For full-featured graphical editors that require the rich capabilities of GEF working with an EMF domain model, GMF is a good option. But then, you may be interested in a lightweight implementation, read-only visualizations, etc. In fact, you may not even need GEF, as is the case with TPTP's visualization of profiling data. For an overview of the features and functionality you can achieve using GMF, look here. To get a sense of how the generative framework can get you going quicker, look here.

What are the prerequisites for using GMF?

If you look at the download page for a particular build, you will see a list of prerequisites with links to their download pages. The update site contains stable (milestone) builds and will require their corresponding milestone releases from the main GMF dependencies (EMF and GEF).

What is the relationship between semantic, domain, notation, and graphical definition models?

In general, the terms semantic and domain model are synonymous and refer to the information being visualized and edited. The information used to represent and persist the visual elements in the GMF runtime is referred to as the notation model. When defining the diagram nodes and figures for use in generating the graphical editor, the toolsmith works with a graphical definition model. This is similar to the notation model, but they are distinct. The graphical definition model is linked to the domain and tooling definition models using a mapping model, which is used to produce a generation model that is used to drive the code generation. Clear as mud? ;) A picture of the models and their workflow is found at the beginning of the tutorial.

How can I contribute to GMF?

The best place to start is by looking in Bugzilla. Either find a bug to work on, coordinating with a developer, or submit a patch for an enhancement. Participation in the newsgroup and mailing list is also encouraged, as is trying out builds and reporting bugs, feature requests, documentation, etc.

What is the release plan for GMF?

You can find our project plan posted here.