Since KNIME 3, the SDK on MacOS changed its startup. I just want to know, whether this was intended as it was more convinient before (or if I do something wrong)
Now, I have a folder named eclipse_knime.app_3.0.0 with a typical 'Contents > MacOS > eclipse' structure.
I have to start eclipse from there (correct me if I'm wrong) and then a terminal window opens to start Eclipse. This stays open until I close Eclipse. Further, the Dock icon is hown as a folder instead of using the Eclipse icon as long as Eclipse is not started (and not working to startup eclipse...)
You can simply start the application like any other native Mac program. This is a change in Eclipse and not in our SDK. We simply add a few KNIME plug-in to the Eclipse SDK.
I don't recommend using the KNIME SDK anyway. Instead use a standard Eclipe SDK with the KNIME target platform, see also https://tech.knime.org/developers.
In general you should not install the libraries against which you are developing into your SDK. The SDK should only contain the extension that you need for development. Instead you create or use a target platform that contains all libraries that you are using in your code. The KNIME SDK violates this by including KNIME stuff which you don't need for development as such (and it sometimes confuses people when the switch to the KNIME perspective and don't see the nodes they are currently working on). Also you are stuck with the Eclipse version we are using. In principle you can use any Eclipse version for development as long as the target platform lists the KNIME stuff against which you are developing.
The KNIME target platform is defined in a single XML file (see also https://tech.knime.org/developers). This needs to be present somewhere in your workspace. It does not need to be part of a plug-in that you deliver, it really only a local workspace configuration file. When you open this target file the contents are loaded (this may take some time) and then you can right click on the link at the top right and set it as the active target platform. You can also add additional extension to the target platform from the KNIME or other update sites.