Advantages / Disadvantages of DELPHI ?

[BuezaWebDev]

Anyone?

I'll be programming in Delphi in university and I don't know a single thing about it. I'm currently studying all the websites for delphi developers though. So...If you could add in any input that would be great! Also, listings of projects you've done in delphi would be greatly appreciated as well!

Kind regards,
Jaime

[AdamGundry]

Delphi is great. The language behind it is Object Pascal (a Borland variant of Pascal which adds object-oriented facilities) and so it's (IMHO) easier to use and provides better rapid application development than C++. The syntax is slightly different from C style, but it is well structured and simple.

In terms of features, it can do pretty much anything C/C++ can. Some of the projects I've started (but often not finished - when I get bored, I start a new project :)) include:

Various database applications using Access and MySQL
Network applications - TELNET client/server, web server
IDE for a programming language
Hex editor
2D retro platform game
3D world-building language (similar to VRML)


One of the few disadvantages of Delphi is that there are fewer libraries and Free Software projects for it than C/C++, but there are still plenty of resources available. It's also less portable between platforms, only supporting Windows and GNU/Linux on i386, but that's unlikely to be a problem.

Adam

[BuezaWebDev]

Thank you so much Adam!

Which language between C++ and Delphi is more efficient?

[AdamGundry]

It's difficult to say, and really depends on what you regard as "efficient". You can often do something more easily and with less programmer time in Delphi than C++. In terms of CPU cycles, it depends on the compiler you are comparing it to, but the Delphi compiler certainly compares favourably with most.

If you have a GNU/Linux machine available, you can download the Open Edition of Kylix (Delphi for Linux) and try it out - it is very similar to the Windows version, and free.

If not, FreePascal (http://www.freepascal.org/) and Lazarus (http://www.lazarus.freepascal.org/) can give you an idea of the functionality of Delphi (if not the quality).

Adam

[ray326]

Adam gave you the upside of Delphi so I'll be the devil's advocate. If you're required to use it for classwork then the short term issue is moot. As far as post education value goes, Delphi's primary problem is its comparatively small "market share." That makes it less attractive for use in large scale IT shops that are trying to minimize the total number of languages they use.

The other big viability problem it has is that its creator is now working for Microsoft, where his latest work was the creation of C#.

[BuezaWebDev]

I got another question!

What is the purpose of the Object Inspector of the Delphi IDE?

[AdamGundry]

It basically makes editing visual forms and controls easier. All Delphi forms are stored as text files with a .dfm extension (at least, since version 5 IIRC), but normally you edit them graphically by dragging and dropping components on a canvas. You use the Object Inspector to set properties of the form and controls, such as the caption of a button or the background colour of the form.

Adam