What is Delphi?

[dirkfirst]

What is Delphi?

I've heard of Python but not Delphi.

[Void]

Delphi homepage: http://www.borland.com/us/products/delphi/index.html
Delphi Forums: http://www.delphiforums.com/

[Dan]

Quick summary...

Delphi is the primary programming language of Borland Delphi. The Delphi language is a derivative of Borland's Object Pascal, which is itself a derivative of Pascal.

The Delphi programming language was created by Borland and debuted with the first version of Borland Delphi. Borland sells integrated development environments (IDEs) that compile the Delphi programming language to Microsoft Windows, the Microsoft .NET Framework and Linux. The open source Free Pascal project allows the language to be compiled for Mac OS X, Win64 and Windows CE.

[MrDiaz]

That last post was pretty good, and I assume it comes from the Borland's page itself.

Anyway, that's just too complicated, so rather, I am going to explain myself very quickly what Delphi really is and what it can be used for.

Delphi is an IDE, is not a programming language. Its programming language is Pascal, or rather, Object Pascal. Because it is an object oriented programming (one of the best ones I must add) We must all remember that structured programming was created by the guy who invented the language Pascal, Niklaus Wirth. Therefore, this tell us that Delphi is pretty good at programming object oriented.

So if you want to have a better idea of what Delphi really is and what it can do. I can start by saying that there are no limits what so ever on what you can create using Delphi. You can program for Win32 as well as Web Based applications. Since Delphi also has tools for it. Also if you want to have an idea of how Delphi looks like, I can tell you that it looks just the same as Visual Studio.NET (specially the newer Delphi version)

I hope that helps all of you in some way, if you have any other questions, just let me know and I will do my best to help you out.

[Rob]

That last post was pretty good, and I assume it comes from the Borland's page itself.

It came from the first two paragraphs of the Wikipedia page on the Delphi programming language. Borland wouldn't write about Free Pascal.

Delphi is an IDE, is not a programming language. Its programming language is Pascal, or rather, Object Pascal.

No, it's really more than the IDE. Object Pascal and Delphi aren't the same language now, if they ever really were.

Because it is an object oriented programming (one of the best ones I must add) We must all remember that structured programming was created by the guy who invented the language Pascal, Niklaus Wirth. Therefore, this tell us that Delphi is pretty good at programming object oriented.

I don't see the logic in that conclusion. If Wirth created structured programming, how does it follow that Delphi would be good for object-oriented programming? Wirth had nothing to do with Delphi, and structured programming isn't necessarily object-oriented.

Besides that, I'm curious to know what Wirth's role was in "creating" structured programming. Most accounts put the credit with Dijkstra.

So if you want to have a better idea of what Delphi really is and what it can do. I can start by saying that there are no limits what so ever on what you can create using Delphi. You can program for Win32 as well as Web Based applications. Since Delphi also has tools for it.

There are certainly limits.

[MrDiaz]

No, it's really more than the IDE. Object Pascal and Delphi aren't the same language now, if they ever really were.

Delphi IS an IDE, how can something be more than an IDE? I don't get what you mean. Maybe a software development package? And Delphi is a derivative of Borland's Object Pascal, my apologies since that is what I meant on my post earlier. [/quote]

Wirth had nothing to do with Delphi, and structured programming isn't necessarily object-oriented.

I never said he did, he created Pascal, Object Pascal is a derivative of Pascal, and Delphi is a derivative of Object Pascal. Delphi was created in 94 as a successor of Turbo Pascal (the tool used to program in that language) Also, to point out I never said that structured programming is the same as object-oriented. I only wanted to give the idea to our users that everything was connected, and all came from one place(Wirth and the creation of Pascal) since then, Object Pascal came out and so did Delphi.

Besides that, I'm curious to know what Wirth's role was in "creating" structured programming. Most accounts put the credit with Dijkstra.

To answer your question, Niklaus introduced the concept of structured programming in 1971.

There are certainly limits.

Limit is a word that is rarely used in the world of programming.

[Rob]

Delphi IS an IDE, how can something be more than an IDE? I don't get what you mean. Maybe a software development package? And Delphi is a derivative of Borland's Object Pascal, my apologies since that is what I meant on my post earlier.

You said that Delphi is not a programming language. That is false. Delphi is a programming language. Delphi is also an IDE. Since "Delphi" refers to both an IDE and a programming language, it is therefore more than just an IDE.

I never said he did, he created Pascal, Object Pascal is a derivative of Pascal, and Delphi is a derivative of Object Pascal. Delphi was created in 94 as a successor of Turbo Pascal (the tool used to program in that language) Also, to point out I never said that structured programming is the same as object-oriented. I only wanted to give the idea to our users that everything was connected, and all came from one place(Wirth and the creation of Pascal) since then, Object Pascal came out and so did Delphi.

Your statement seemed to go like this: Wirth created structured programming, so therefore Delphi is good for object-oriented programming. For me, that's a non sequitur. Did Wirth make contributions to object-oriented programming? Did those contributions affect Delphi in any way? To claim that it "all came from one place" is to assert that there were no other influences on how Delphi turned out. Since Wirth wasn't involved in the development of Delphi, I find it hard to believe that Delphi came entirely from Wirth's work.

To answer your question, Niklaus introduced the concept of structured programming in 1971.

I'm afraid that doesn't answer my question at all. I asked what his role in creating it was. Merely re-iterating that he created it doesn't get me any closer to having an answer. What did he do in 1971?

Whatever he did, he was at least three years too late. Dijkstra's "Go To Statement Considered Harmful" paper was published in 1968. That paper is often credited as marking the beginning of the structured-programming movement. Wirth happened to be the editor of the Communications of the ACM at the time, but it was Dijkstra's paper.

If Wirth really created structured programming, I implore you to add something about that to Wirth's Wikipedia entry.