Why to choose Delphi
Delphi is an integrated development environment (IDE) for 32-bit Windows platform.
Delphi combines the power of object Pascal and the simplicity of visual programming.
By Delphi you can go deeply into low level programming using assembler code and call
Windows API's while you can point and click to build database applications.
Delphi features:
- Object Pascal: Delphi comes from very long successful Borland Pascal product line.
The syntax used in Delphi is Borland Pascal language syntax. Object Pascal code is
very clear and has many features makes it the best coding method. Pascal source code
are available anywhere. If some one need a unit for Delphi to do certain task such
as encryption, compression, sorting, CRC, and other algorithms he will find thousands
of free source code at the internet which originally written long years ago for Turbo
Pascal use. Fortunately Turbo Pascal source code needs no or less modification to
be run on Delphi. Features of Turbo Pascal language needs a separate book to talk
about, so that we just mention Object Pascal as the most important feature of Delphi.
- Object Orientation: Delphi support Object Oriented Programming (OOP) as a primary
method to develop applications. This feature enables developers to use already existing
classes and components as well as developing their own classes and components either
by inheriting already existed classes or beginning from scratch.
- Structured programming: In addition to OOP method, structured programming still
exists in Delphi, so that Delphi is a hybrid Object Oriented Language. Structured
programming is very suitable and easy for small programming tasks, so you can combine
the power of object orientation and the simplicity of structured programming. Some
programming languages restrict their users to do any thing in OOP even small problems,,
beginners find it hard to study such language. This kind of languages are called
pure OOP language.
- Code optimization: code generated by Delphi compiler is very optimum (compact
in size and very fast in execution). Delphi uses processor registers to pass up to
three procedure parameters. It also uses registers to hold for-loop counter.
- Windows API accessibility: With Delphi you can access all windows API functions
(Application Programming Interface) by which you can do any thing you want in Windows
operating system such as getting current user name, open external document, suspend
system, shutting down windows, and so on.
- Delphi community: Delphi programmers are one of the most experienced programmers
in the world. They do not begin from nothing but most of them has a long experience
with one of Borland tools such as Turbo Pascal, Borland Pascal, and Borland C++.
This community helps us to solve all our Delphi problems. We can find them in many
news groups, they provides us with huge amount of useful components, even Internet
sites which specialized in Delphi are spread any where.
Below text are quoted from Delphi 3 Client/Server Developer's Guide ( Ken Henderson
)
To recap, there are countless reasons for choosing Delphi over other tools; among
them are the following:
- A comprehensive object framework
- A fast, native code compiler
- An integrated debugger that's second to none
- Lean yet easy to use database access mechanisms
- A develpment environment based on sophisticated two-way tools.
In each of these areas, other tools are completely void of anything similar, or
Delphi's technology is simply better. For me, the choice is simple.
No limits
With all the talk about Delphi's impressive list of features, you might wonder whether
there's something missing. You might fear that you'll eventually hit the proverbial
wall and find something that you just can't do in Delphi.
This isn't likely. Unlike most other RAD tools, Delphi is fully extensible-you can
extend it in so many ways, you'll probably never encounter a task that Delphi isn't
up to. Whether it's constructing database applications or building ActiveX controls,
Delphi comes through time and again.
Here's a brief summary of the options that make Delphi so extensible:
- Direct access to Windows API.
- Built-in assembler; inline code support.
- Creation of custom VCL and ActiveX components.
- Creation of DLLs and other secondary Windows objects.
- Support for multi-tiered development.
- Fully object oriented: You can inherit from component classes already included
or build your own from scratch.
Delphi meets these criteria (OOP) in the same way that C++ and other traditional
OOP environments do. It's a little known fact that Borland's Pascal compiler was
object-oriented before either Microsoft C or Borland C was. The OOP technology in
Delphi is not an afterthought, but the basis for the entire environment. With the
addition of visual development tools, Borland has removed much of the tedium frequently
associated with OOP development.
What distinguishes Delphi from most of the other RAD tools on the market is the
fact that it was native code OOP tool before it was a visual tool. As I've said,
Delphi descends from Borland's Turbo Pascal product line. Since the late '80s, Borland's
Pascal compilers have been object-oriented and produced machine code. Only in Delphi
was this technology taken to the next level-to the realm of Rapid Application Development
(RAD) tools. Contrast this with Visual Basic and PowerBuilder. They both began life
as interpreter-based visual environments and are just now trying to reform themselves
into OOP tools and native code generators. The difference this makes can be huge.
One environment was designed from ground up for flexibility and speed. Only time
will tell whether this gamble pays off. Shoehorning non-OOP interpretive technology
into a trim native compiler-based OOP footprint is no mean feat.
Scalability
One of the most important characteristics of a client/server tool is it's scalability-its
capability of working with simple as well as sophisticated databases. Sure, the tool
works well with dBASE tables, but how is it with Sybase tables? Delphi's multi-tier
database architecture makes it more scalable than most of the other tools on the
market. Among the features that contribute to this scalability are
- Support for both local tables and those that reside on remote database servers.
- Support for heterogeneous queries and access to multiple DBMS platforms from within
a single application.
- Platform-independent database access through the Borland Database Engine, allowing
applications to be easily moved from one DBMS to another
- Fast, native BDE drivers for the major client/server platforms
- Virtualized DataSets, allowing vendors to build their own database drivers independent
of the BDE.
- Support for ultra-thin, zero-configuration client applications.
- Support for building application servers
- Complete ODBC support.
The upshot of all this is that Delphi is the Swiss army knife of client/server development
tools. Whether it's local or SQL server-based tables, Delphi provides the tools you
need to get the job done. And chances are, you'll get it done a lot quicker and with
fewer headaches.
Summary
Delphi is the consummate client/server development tool. It's in a league of its
own when compared with first-generation RAD tools such as PowerBuilder and Visual
Basic. It's also more powerful and easier to use than second-generation tools such
as Optima++. Among those with limited exposure to Delphi, there is sometimes a perception
that it's the lightweight of the client/server tools game-but that's a bad perception.
It's been interesting to watch competing vendors claim that Delphi is shallow in
one area or another, all the while working feverishly to copy its features. Microsoft
claimed Delphi's basis on native compiler technology was non-issue while working
behind the scenes to add a native compiler (albeit, an inferior one) to Visual Basic
5. Sometimes actions speak louder than words.
Delphi 3 client/server Developer's guide,
Ken Henderson,
Borland press, Sams publishing, 1997
ISBN 0-672-31024-4