“The ranks of Linux developers will swell enormously when
Borland releases the fruits of the Kylix project, the Linux port of
its Delphi rapid application development (RAD) environment.
Meanwhile, the Lazarus project is plugging away at an open source
alternative to Delphi that could win over some C-addicted hearts
and minds. The impact of those efforts on the mainstreaming of
Linux could be huge….”
“The Kylix project actually encompasses ports of both Delphi and
Borland’s C++ Builder to Linux. The Delphi product will be released
first, according to Michael Swindell, Borland’s director of product
management for the RAD Tools Group. Swindell spoke to me on the
first day of the Borland/Inprise Developer Conference in San Diego,
where 2,200 avid developers eager for a glimpse at Delphi for Linux
jammed the keynote session for a demo, serving up several ovations.
What Borland is giving them, said Swindell, is the means to become
“instant Linux application development experts.” Standard
(entry-level), Professional (developer), and Enterprise (Delphi and
C++ Builder bundled) versions will be offered, with the first two
targeted for release by the end of the year.”
“Two Delphi experts who specialize in Windows software
development for a wide range of industries helped me understand the
excitement that the advent of Kylix is generating in the Delphi
community. “I was dreading having to program in C again if I had to
go over to a Linux environment,” confessed Brendan Delumpa, the
Delphi Pro at DevX.com. “Delphi really does afford the developer
the ability to create incredible, complex applications. The object
hierarchy, user interface, and add-ins and tools make it a choice
environment for Windows developers. If I had my tried-and-true
Delphi environment on Linux, [Kylix] would definitely be worth a
look.”