Getting Eclipse Preferences Under Control in Teams

An exploration of free tools that aid in maintaining preferences in a team environment. Three solutions were described:

1. "Eclipse Team Etceteras" - a feature that prompts the user on startup of a new workspace to install preferences from the location specified in a fragment. Also allows when switching workspace to copy preferences in the switch. More information here.
2. "Workspace Mechanic" - a more invasive but capable feature that is task oriented and can manage preferences, java files, and plugins. File-based with HTTP function not yet released.
3. "Common Preferences" aka bug 334016 - an eclipse project than handles preferences and can optionally lock them down.

I think #2 sounds like work to maintain. I think #3's capability of locking down preferences is too heavy handed but we wouldn't need to use it and it is an eclipse project so the future is probably good. #1 sounds quite simple and probably does the job needed. I'd like to hear what the rest of the team has to say on this.