This article demonstrates how to use the Architect edition of Borland Delphi 8 for the Microsoft .NET Framework, and specifically the functionality found in the Borland Enterprise Core Objects section, to design an Object Model that is made persistent inside the DB2 UDB SAMPLE database.
Using Delphi for .NET to design an object model for a DB2 database
About The Author
Eugenia Loli
Ex-programmer, ex-editor in chief at OSNews.com, now a visual artist/filmmaker.
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http://www.drbob42.com/
Only one comment?
In its hayday Delphi was the coolest development tool going for programming windows, heads and shoulders above any microsoft tool. But I guess the world has moved on.
Anybody know the advantages of Delphi.Net?
I have been using Delphi since version 1 and it´s the most productive tool today in my opinion.
Go Delphi!!
Anybody know the advantages of Delphi.Net?
Something Im happy about Delphi 8 is like your learning curve if you have used olders Delphi versions will be almost Zero with VCL.NET, you can recompile your Delphi for win32 applicatios on Delphi .NET and they’ll turn to .NET instantly.
It have many other advantage I could list. but mainly, you will be able to develop faster your applications than with Visual C#.
The link shows Delphi’s IDE, is is the same configuration used in C#Builder, I prefer Borland’s C# version to delphi 8 though. I like more java-like sintax than pascal.
I still think Borland tools seem to be made in a hurry lately. Sad.
A year ago, i would be Delphi fanboy number one. I loved the ease of use, i loved the complete framework, i loved the speed. And i could always count on Delphi being there and improving. These days i’m not so sure.
There seems to be a distinct lack of direction where Delphi is moving to. I was a little hesisteant with the introduction of Kylix, seems to me Inprise (as it was called then) is stretching themsleves a little more than their manpower is able to cope. The Help files were getting a little shoddy by then with incomplete references and needing humonguos update packs. The progress of improvements also started to slow down. Delphi 5,6, and 7 looks more like .5 revision updates rather full blown version updates.
And now with Delphi .Net, the situation seems very grim. IMHO .Net in itself is a silly idea, requiring a huge, slow and lumbering runtime libary in order to run even a simple hello world program. I could make pretty advanced games or programs with a really quick and nifty GUI with the old versions, but thats impossible with Delphi.NET.
Borland said they would come out with a native Win32 compiler on same later undefined date if there was demand for it, but sounded very non-commital. If they do decide to create it, would come in a form of patch or update.
Its not all bad news though, the IDE has borrowed some of the better ideas from visual studio. Also has a collapseble code window so that very long units are easier to view and edit. I just hope the win32 does get published eventually.
“I have been using Delphi since version 1 and it´s the most productive tool today in my opinion.”
why should one .NET language be more productive than the other? I think they are all the same, the most productive way to write code. If one is more productive then the other then it would be VB because it’s the easiest to read, has best codes complete and auto indent features, background compilation to mark errors while typing etc. (I assume all this is shitty or missing in C# because the syntax is to cryptical to do it right, C syntax for sure ain’t bliss like VB and Delphi syntax ain’t!)
funny people used Delphi because they didn’t want to bother users with a huge download (which nobody did/does anyway because most users don’t trust .NET) and now Borland acts like the future is all about .NET
my conclusion is all .NET languages have a serious legacy problem while C# sucks slightly less then others. I think I’m gonna create my own .NET language
, it would meet between C# and VB
“It have many other advantage I could list. but mainly, you will be able to develop faster your applications than with Visual C#. ”
Don’t be shy…list the advantages so you won’t look like a troll.
ruckus…i suggest you to stick with asm. It the only thing who doesn’t requires a “runtime”.
Borland said they would come out with a native Win32 compiler on same later undefined date if there was demand for it, but sounded very non-commital. If they do decide to create it, would come in a form of patch or update.
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Delphi has always had a Win32 compiler. Even in Delphi 8, you can still create a native Win32 project and your users will not be burdened by a 20 MB runtime download. So Delphi 8 is still retains much of its ‘delphiness’.
Big shame about Kylix though. I would have thought having the ability to compile programs for Linux would be more important than supporting .NET at the moment.
“Delphi has always had a Win32 compiler. Even in Delphi 8, you can still create a native Win32 project and your users will not be burdened by a 20 MB runtime download. So Delphi 8 is still retains much of its ‘delphiness’. ”
Yeah…a 1 mb exe for a frigging empty window. Stop bitching about .NET and use asm if you’re interested in “no runtime”.
Dolmite..the future (under Windows) is .NET wheter u like or not. What “legacy” are you talking about ?
insidr…come on man. Borland C# has THE CRAPPIEST debugger EVER. The IDE is not great either. Comparing it with Visual C# i onestly think C# Builder is blown away in the water :-))
Actually, its only 600 KB for an exe with only a window
But try adding loads more functionality to it, and you’ll still see that the exe remains at about 600 KB. Obviously, you’ve never tried Delphi for anything other than an empty window.
Contrast that to Java or C#. To get an empty window, the user needs to get a runtime (14MB for Java, 22 MB for C#). Personally, I’d rather stick with Delphi for apps that don’t need any .NET features.
ruckus…i suggest you to stick with asm. It the only thing who doesn’t requires a “runtime”.
read my post properly. I didnt comment about the need for “runtime”. i said “requiring a huge, slow and lumbering runtime libary” making very distinct note on the size and speed. Thanks for being so condescending btw, are you bored of slashdot already?
@wee jin goh,
yaps, i worded it worng, but i guess you understood what i meant.
above post was by me.
Delphi has always had a Win32 compiler.
True.
Even in Delphi 8, you can still create a native Win32 project and your users will not be burdened by a 20 MB runtime download. So Delphi 8 is still retains much of its ‘delphiness’.
Not true.
Delphi 8 is .NET only. VCL is now VCL.NET. There is NO option to create native executables, and there is NO way to create programs independant of the .NET framework!
Delphi 8 is .NET only. VCL is now VCL.NET. There is NO option to create native executables, and there is NO way to create programs independant of the .NET framework!
You’re right but Delphi 8 is sold with Delphi 7 included so technically you can still make Win32 application with Delphi 8!
Ah… my bad.
I assumed that because I could create a VCL Forms project instead of a WinForms one, that I would be automatically generating a Win32 app.
Guess that’s why they included Delphi 7 in the package. Shame though, as the IDE for Delphi 8 is much nicer than the one in Delphi 7. They’ve finally added code folding, something that I like very much.
“Dolmite..the future (under Windows) is .NET wheter u like or not. What “legacy” are you talking about ?”
I’m .NET programmer myself since more than a year working many hours every day with both C# and VB. VB for instance is full of legacy and newbie crap, you can even declare a variable like this when option strict is on:
Dim s$
that’s ridiculously, it’s also extremely clumsy to write:
Dim i As Integer
when
i as int
would do the job just fine, the syntax is way over the top, why do I have to type Function all the time when def is so much shorter? In C# there ain’t even def, the syntax is so short and cryptical that the code editor cannot do cool things like background compilation and auto indent etc., it’s harder to use. Both languages are extremes in the opposite direction, I need badly something in the middle
try this
MsgBox(“” = Nothing)
it returns true!
in VB you have always to functions for a job, the old one and the .NET one, VB allows many things what C# would prevent because it’s a bad thing to do (in Whidbey there will be some improvements though)
I could give you hundreds of examples why VB .NET sucks, I’ll use C# until somebody come up with something better
Guess that’s why they included Delphi 7 in the package. Shame though, as the IDE for Delphi 8 is much nicer than the one in Delphi 7. They’ve finally added code folding, something that I like very much.
Yes, me too! Code folding is a great feature. Borlands new IDE rocks – I only pitty the abandoning of native Win32 C++ and Delphi..
By the way, this ( http://www.thinstaller.com ) was brought up by someone a few articles ago. Looks interesting. Is someone using it? I would love to know what you think about it and if it is worth ther money…
Sorry, link should have been:
http://thinstall.com
Saying that C/C# is cryptic tell’s me a lot about what kind of programmer you are. VB.NET is an aberation and SHOULD NOT have been released by Microsoft for the sake of all developpers. It’s not friendly, the compiler does not warn you again when you use variables incorrectly (run time error anyone?) and the syntax is too obscure that you can not talk fluently OO with someone who made C++, Smalltalk or Java. But hey, they had to please everyone and put “cool things like background compilation”… you know, one day when you’ll got a large project in VB.NET, tell me again if you like your “background compilation” that much? When your IDE will be bog down to a crawl because of every key stroked you make forces an automatic compilation, you’ll weight that again, I’m sure.
I didn’t mean Borland’s C#Builder is better than VS.NET, I was refering to the languages, not to the IDEs. I prefer C# over delphi in terms of sintax any time. I know for sure that VS.NET is the best IDE nowadays, Eclipse then only other one I see trying to compete, has a long way to go yet.
I’ve used Delphi sicne version 1, mainly because I was able to get the job done faster. I’ve tried Java with SWING, dabbled with QT, wxWindows but still Delphi was the fastest way to develop GUI apps and it still is today. I’ve never understood why Java/C programmers have tended to be hostile to Delphi. If you write in Delphi they think you’re either some sort of amateur or a freak. My only conclusion was that programmers (especially CS dervied ones) are a highly conservative lot, afraid to venture out beyond what they know. If one stacked up the pros and cons I believe Delphi comes out at the top of the list.
Since you’ve been in the Delphi world since v1.0, you’re probably aware of some of the sites that I used to maintain:
The Delphi 3/4/5 information pages, and the Delphi Skunkworks.
I really enjoyed working with Delphi, but in the end it came down to “what do employers want?” I can tell you it’s not Delphi.
I used the OO knowledge gained from my years of working with Delphi and leveraged them into my work in Java.
As great as Delphi is/was, 95% of employers out there have no clue what it is or what it’s used for – therefore no work in it.
“Saying that C/C# is cryptic tell’s me a lot about what kind of programmer you are. VB.NET is an aberation and SHOULD NOT have been released by Microsoft for the sake of all developpers. It’s not friendly, the compiler does not warn you again when you use variables incorrectly (run time error anyone?) and the syntax is too obscure that you can not talk fluently OO with someone who made C++, Smalltalk or Java. But hey, they had to please everyone and put “cool things like background compilation”… you know, one day when you’ll got a large project in VB.NET, tell me again if you like your “background compilation” that much? When your IDE will be bog down to a crawl because of every key stroked you make forces an automatic compilation, you’ll weight that again, I’m sure.”
my largest VB project is 30 000 lines code, is that large enough for you? No speed problems here. I know about the weaknesses in VB myself but I think C# has some too. Maybe I should have a learned C syntax language before VB because even after a couple of C# projects I’m still not as productive with C# like I’m with VB. The VB code editor does so much more for me than the C# code editor with a few exceptions like the tab shortcut with assigning event handlers and overriding methods. As time goes by I might appreciate C syntax more and the code editors might improve but for now VB code editing is a little easier, more productive and more natural for me. I might learn about others as well but honestly syntax like python or Delphi appear obscure (sorry) to me. I might be more picky than others, it appears to me as soon as people are used to something they feel at home and are to lazy to rethink
also it appears many people don’t need things like auto indent, code complete, background compilations, IDE, mouse and all the other “walking sticks” I’m so addictive and dependent on, they are just fine with a command line editor like people used 20 years before
As great as Delphi is/was, 95% of employers out there have no clue what it is or what it’s used for – therefore no work in it.
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The fault should like with Borland for not marketing Delphi well enough. You could blame the managers for not being in the know about software tools, but there’s really nothing you can do about PHBs 🙂
There aren’t many Delphi jobs, but I think many shareware and small time developers use Delphi, as it gives them the productivity of a whole team of programmers. OK, maybe not a whole team, but they sure can accomplish more that if they were using some other language.
The biggest shame about Delphi is that it doesn’t run on OS X and that Linux support is dropped. The nearest you get to Delphi is REALBasic, and that’s not too bad.
This may seem off-topic, but I would like to share some info on this with you guys.
Borland had a similar product to Delphi, it was called C++ Builder. C++ Builder uses the VCL as Delphi does but uses C++ as its language. Thus you gained the benefits of Delphi without having to switch to ObjectPascal.
Borland has decided to drop C++Builder completely with the release of a new product; C++BuilderX. Mind you C++BuilderX is not the same as the venerable C++Builder. In fact C++BuilderX is just a multi-C++-compiler IDE with a wxWindows WYSIWYG form designer. In fact C++BuilderX is written in Java and not in C++/Delphi as the original C++Builder. Borland also plans to drop their own C++ compiler in support for other third party compilers. Though this may attract new devs it is bad news for existing developers. They are basically doing the same thing with current C++ devs as they did with their OWL developers.
The same will eventually happen to Win32 Delphi developers. Will many .Net advocates including Borland claim that the Win32 API SDK will not be updated in Longhorn, no party has provided any official statements from Microsoft claiming such. I myself would like to see proof!
I have been personally smitten by Borlands poor service and support of its tools. To see what I mean pay a visit to the following links:
http://www.petitiononline.com/bcbfutur/
http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&group=b…
Say NO to Borland tools!
-magg