What is the best way to upgrade Eclipse 3.6 to 3.7 (or a subsequent version)?

Question

In the past I've always downloaded the new version, and then manually reinstalled all of the plugins I use - but this is tedious in the extreme.

Is there a way to upgrade Eclipse "in-place"? How do I do this exactly?

Answer 1

The approach below worked for me, and seems to be the easiest. It's from this eclipse FAQ and slightly modified for clarity:

For upgrading from Eclipse 3.5+ to 3.6+

• Help -> Install New Software
• Enter the release update site url eg. 'http://download.eclipse.org/releases/indigo' <- if upgrading from 3.5 or 3.6 (Helios) to 3.7 (Indigo)
• Click Add
• Click Cancel
• Help -> Check for Updates

Note: The original URL has changed. (I've left the original link for posterity)
following the NEW FAQ instructions

• Also you may have to remove any incompatible updates plugins before proceeding.
  (For Example: JBoss Tools has different versions for Helios and Indigo that are incompatible)

Update: I didn't try this when upgrading from 3.x to 4.x (Juno). I just set up a whole new workspace. I think I read somewhere that doing that is the safest approach to upgrading major versions.