Borland and Embarcadero Delphi Programming Language and Delphi Prism

Borland and Embarcadero Delphi Programming Language and Delphi Prism

This article describes about delphi programming language. How delphi programming language improved from Borland to Embarcadero? We have included only popular versions of delphi programming language in this article.

Delphi was originally developed by Borland as a rapid application development tool for Windows, and as the successor of Borland Pascal. Delphi evolved from Borland Turbo Pascal. Delphi has always used Object Pascal. Delphi is a strongly typed high-level programming language.

Borland Delphi 7

Delphi 7, released in August 2002, became the standard version used by more Delphi developers than any other single version. It is one of the most successful IDEs created by Borland because of its stability, speed and low hardware requirements, and remained in active use as of 2011. Delphi 7 added support for Windows XP Themes, and added more support for building Web applications. It was the last version of Delphi which could be used without software activation.

Embarcadero Delphi 2010

Delphi 2010 was released on August 25, 2009 and is the second Unicode release of Delphi. It includes a new compiler run-time type information (RTTI) system, support for Windows 7 direct 2D, touch screen and gestures, a source code formatter, debugger visualizers and the option to also have the old style component palette in the IDE. The new RTTI system makes larger executables than previous versions.

Embarcadero Delphi XE2

On September 1, 2011 Embarcadero released RAD Studio XE2 which included Delphi XE2, C++Builder, Prism XE2 and RadPHP XE2.

Delphi XE2 can develop applications for 32- and 64-bit Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X and iOS. As of 2011 Embarcadero has said they plan to support Linux and Android.

Embarcadero released in 2011 as part of Delphi XE2 a new compiler and cross-platform VCL replacement called FireMonkey, based on Direct3D and OpenGL, which runs on other platforms in addition to Windows, supporting their features, but is not backwards-compatible with VCL applications.

Delphi XE2 natively supports 64-bit Windows, in addition to the long-supported 32-bit versions, with some backwards compatibility. Applications for 64-bit platforms can be compiled, but not tested or run, on the 32-bit platform. Delphi XE2 is supplied with both the VCL, and an alternative library called FireMonkey that supports Windows, Apple Mac OS X and the Apple iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad portable devices. FireMonkey and VCL are not compatible; one or the other must be used, and older VCL applications cannot use Firemonkey unless user interfaces are recreated with FireMonkey forms and controls. Third parties have published information on how to use Firemonkey forms in VCL software, to facilitate gradual migration, but even then VCL and Firemonkey controls cannot be used on the same form.

Delphi Prism

Delphi Prism was developed by RemObjects Software and distributed by Embarcadero from 2008 to replace Delphi.NET. It is a combination of RemObjects's mostly Delphi-compatible .NET compiler (without RTL or VCL), a version of the Microsoft Visual Studio Shell without C# or VB support, and some Embarcadero technologies such as dbExpress. Prism is cross-platform capable insofar as it supports the Mono .NET libraries.

Prism is a separate product line with new releases; Embarcadero Delphi Prism XE2 was released at about the same time as Delphi XE2.

To create applications for managed code platforms, a similar (but not mutually compatible) alternative is Delphi Prism.

Delphi Prism is a product from Embarcadero based on the Oxygene programming language (previously known as Chrome). Delphi Prism is the replacement for Delphi.NET, which was discontinued. The Prism product runs inside the Visual Studio IDE and is part of the "RAD Studio" IDE environment