Delphi classes_(re)

Mon, 7 Jul 1997 10:58:08 +0100

>What Borland did with Delphi was to design the compiler to work
>together with exactly one library (VCL), exactly one set of development
>tools (object inspector etc.) on exactly one platform (Windows).  I don't
>like this approach because it contradicts the general applicability of a
>compiler.

NO WAY! The only odd thing about Delphi is the compiler portion. The whole
system is designed to be cross platform(unlike C/C++,Pascal,et cetera) from
the ground up. The only thing preventing it is that Borland  is too
skint/not interested in doing it. You can replace the VCL if you so wish
the only thing you lose is compatibility with the IDE. The Windows VCL
implementation could quite easily(and I mean this) be swapped out and
replaced with an X-Windows-VCL, Mac-VCL, NEXT-VCL, etc,etc,etc. It should
be possible to build(as in compile) a standard(i.e.  not using Windows fns
direct) Delphi application on any compatible compiler/processor/OS
combination without touching the source at ALL. GNU-Delphi is a real
possibility. The only thing you would lose is the pretty IDE which,
naturally, remains the property of Borland...afterall, everyone has a
Windows box to do the initial development on.

I would be really interested in a command line cross-compiler for Delphi
that would allow me to port my existing Delphi software to the Mac, X
Windows,etc for nil effort. I build educational software for a living which
gets sold to the general public/consumer(all PC based) and to
teachers/schools/colleges,etc which for various political reasons use a
wide variety of muck including Macs....I want to sell to these folk...these
folk want to buy from me...but they don't want to have to re-equip with
PCs....and doing serious development on anything other than Delphi is out
of the question as it would quadruple the lead time/number of staff
required to complete a given project.

fyi, this is why I like GNU-Pascal.

yours (rantingly),
Dave

Dave Fiddes, CALM Software Production Officer
Department of Mathematics, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh
email D.J.Fiddes@hw.ac.uk - Tel: 0131-451-3251


David Fiddes (D.J.Fiddes@hw.ac.uk)