Source: http://www.dgdown.com.cn/Programming/Delphi/8705_4.html
Preface
Linux can be said to be a miracle in the IT industry. any one in the industry does not dare to watch it out. At present, the biggest problem facing Linux is that there are too few applications that cannot meet the needs of users in various fields. This is one of the main reasons why Linux is hard to beat windows. Although this situation is being improved with the participation of many companies and programmers, Linux urgently needs an efficient IDE (integrated development tools) due to the rapid development of the IT industry ). The development of Windows has led to the emergence of VB, the world's most widely used programming language. So what will happen to the popularity of Linux? The answer is kylix.
First glance at kylix
Kylix is another masterpiece of Borland. Borland has been famous for its series of development tools such as Borland C ++, Delphi, C ++ builder, and JBuilder, kylix adheres to Borland's complete visual IDE development environment, powerful debugging functions, and rich VCL components. It is simply a Delphi in Linux. The launch of kylix is of great significance for the future development of Linux.
Kylix integrates the fastest compiler, visualized GUI environment, and Web and database application software development in the world. Its features can be summarized as follows: efficient Linux code application software (efficient code execution, reusable target library, built-in assembly language, dynamic call Library), fast IDE (Development Environment) automatic Code Generation and check, advanced integrated debugging, complete documentation and help files, powerful component development (clx Interface), component code, and open database interfaces. String 1
Kylix allows many programs running on Windows to be transplanted to Linux. Linux programs written in kylix can also be run on Windows. It hides the complexity of compiling Linux software. programmers can use 165 clx software components to easily create menus, buttons, connect to databases, and design other features. The results of kylix are obvious for general users, that is, more and more excellent Linux application software will be used.
The successor of Delphi
For professional programmers, there are many ways to develop a multi-platform commercial application, but they are not easy to implement. Therefore, cross-platform development tools are often favored by the majority of programmers because of their platform independence.
Kylix provides an easy-to-learn and efficient development environment for business development. Like java, kylix provides Linux developers with function libraries comparable to the Windows development environment in terms of user interfaces, databases, web and network functions. It is very attractive to experienced program developers because it is very similar to Delphi, C/C ++ and Visual Basic. Borland adds some features that are not available in standard Java in kylix, that is, optimizing the native code compiler and the RAD (Rapid Application Development) environment. Obviously, for developers of Delphi and Linux, kylix is a development tool with great technical potential.
In commercial applications, kylix faces some challenges between application platforms. First, if Delphi developers want to port their applications to kylix, they need to polish their code more concisely, which is a relatively time-consuming task. Secondly, most Linux developers are already using C ++, Java, and Perl to develop applications. Now they are switching to kylix. For them, it means learning a new development language and familiarizing yourself with many library functions that can only be used in kylix. This is likely to delay the time they choose to use kylix. However, it is certain that any development group is hard to resist this powerful and quick development tool in the Linux environment. It is only a matter of time for people to accept it.
Innovation
We know that Turbo Pascal has a very efficient compiler and a comprehensive IDE (integrated development environment), which enables a Windows user to become a program developer overnight. Kylix and Delphi developed from it.
For those who use C ++ or Java for development, Pascal seems too old. However, for a long time, it has attracted public attention because it has centralized the structure and expressiveness of C and has basic security.
Delphi programmers can use Object Pascal code, Intel assembly language, Microsoft Win32 API, and Borland's VCL (Delphi visual component library) to create applications. Kylix has the flexibility of Delphi and the freedom of Linux. Of course, it is obviously not good to directly access the Win 32 API. VCL is also replaced by clx (Borland's new library component for cross-platform development.
The clx component is mainly composed of user interface elements. It provides direct support for IBM's DB2, Oracle, MySQL, and Borland Interbase in terms of databases. Borland also binds mybase (an XML database with resident memory ). The server version of kylix includes a netclx, which is a set of components used to create Apache Web applications. Although the desktop version does not have netclx, it has TCP/IP socket server and client components open in source code. Both versions contain the optimized object PASCAL Compiler, executable 32-bit Linux original code, and shared libraries.
Extraordinary performance
During a test on the Pentium III MHz system, kylix is only a little slower than Delphi's windows IDE. On an athlon 1.2ghz machine equipped with an NVIDIA geforce2 Graphics Accelerator card, it is almost smoke.
At first glance, kylix is like an extraordinary Windows Delphi ide running on Linux. In fact, from context-related help, gorgeous code editor and pop-up syntax wizard menu to drop-down and drag-and-drop Form Designer, every detail of it has been improved. This is not suitable for programmers engaged in cross-platform development. This is because Borland wisely adopted the suggestions from the open-source community to convert Delphi to kylix.
To accelerate kylix's pace in the market, Borland sought help from codeweavers, a company dedicated to wine's commercial applications. The wine application is a native Linux program, but it can access wine libraries compatible with Win32. It is also because of wine that kylix does a lot less work. The wine project provides Linux developers with a complete set of open source code Win32 APIs. In terms of the appearance and feeling of the form, wine provides a good recommendation for kylix. Compared with pure Java IDE, kylix IDE is indeed commendable.
In addition to wine, Borland is also related to two other open source advocates. They are trolltech (dedicated to QT cross-platform application interface library) and nevrona (dedicated to Indy TCP/IP component library ). Qt can be executed in Linux and Windows, so it is very suitable for the clx interface of kylix. Indy components are developed by Borland's open-source community. String 9
Obviously, kylix developers can benefit from a large number of open-source programs in Delphi, but these existing resources are not all available. Since Delphi has always been a single platform language, some public code can only be used in windows, while some directly operate on PC hardware, therefore, most Delphi applications and libraries need to be modified when switched to kylix, and some may even need a lot of changes. However, it is certain that, as a member of Borland's open source code community, kylix will undoubtedly be accepted and converted into existing popular open source code projects in Delphi.
Borland does not simplify the operations of the compiler and the kylix debugger. The Code Compiled by the object PASCAL Compiler of kylix is small and fast. This is a function fully inherited from Delphi. Now, the compiler has been fully built into kylix. The kylix optimizer allows code to run on all Linux systems using Intel CPU. However, we recommend that you use the latest intel and AMD processors. Like the compiler, the kylix debugger has been tightly integrated into the kylix IDE and can only be used in Linux. It provides breakpoint settings, single-step debugging, function debugging, variable value display ,. so debugging, parallel mechanism debugging, debugging for temporary processing, debugging genie, event list, module viewing, CPU status, memory read/write breakpoint, variable value list, and other functions.
Kylix is currently the only cross-platform rad development environment that can generate native Linux code. Kylix IDE is a good example for those who want to port Windows applications to Linux through open source tools.
Comparison with Java is inevitable, but Java is another type. It is similar to kylix in cross-platform and web-based services. The kylix server version contains components for developing applications for Apache Web servers. Of course, in terms of breadth, kylix is far inferior to Java at present. It does not support commercial UNIX platforms yet, nor does it have any enterprise middleware. All of this is available in Java 2 Enterprise Edition. Compared with kylix, Java has the ease of use and good reputation. The main advantage of kylix is its performance and ease of use, which is rare in commercial Linux development tools. Applications developed with kylix have short cycles, less memory used during running, and run very quickly.
Now, Borland still has some work to do, such as further strengthening the integration of kylix and existing Linux C/C ++ and Java code. In view of Borland's experience in Java and C ++, we can imagine that in the near future, in Java applications, jobs with high performance requirements can be completed by kylix and Linux gnu c ++.
Now, if you want to develop applications that have specific performance requirements and want to run in both Windows and Linux environments, kylix is definitely the first choice. If the company is developing software in Linux, or wants to port the Delphi Program in Windows to Linux, it is wise to choose kylix.
As the first rad (Rapid Application Development) Environment in Linux, developers in Windows will find that learning to use kylix is not difficult.
Delphi programmer:As a delphi developer, using kylix for development in Linux has unique advantages. First, the kylix interface is very similar to the Delphi interface that developers are already familiar with and is easy to use. In addition, kylix retains the same tool set as Delphi (including form design, target detection, debugger and compiler), and even the new library component clx module, which is developed from Delphi VCL, therefore, it is easier to port a program developed with Delphi to Linux. That is to say, when developers combine kylix and Delphi, they only need to master a set of basic skills and use the same basic code to develop cross-platform applications on Linux and Windows.
Database developers:You can use kylix to implement high-performance e-commerce applications in Linux based on the Oracle and IBM DB2 environments. With the high-speed dbexpress database drive, you can easily integrate existing Oracle, DB2, Interbase, and MySQL databases into applications. Using a powerful data warehouse GUI component provided by kylix, you can quickly develop data center applications. Kylix uses the SQL Monitor and SQL test and debugging components to test the performance and response capabilities of database applications, and uses cached updates to improve server response capabilities.
LinuxDevelopers:Thanks to its stability, flexibility, and low price, Linux has been widely used in Web application servers and is rapidly becoming a desktop alternative to Windows. However, traditional development tools on Linux are not satisfactory. First, they are difficult to learn. In addition, compared with efficient development tools on windows, they are obviously in urgent need of improvement. Now, kylix has changed this situation. Kylix introduces rad (Rapid Application Development) into Linux, which greatly accelerates application development in Linux.
The preceding three functions are shown in kylix:
Figure 1
Web developers:Kylix can accelerate the development of Apache Web servers. Kylix's netclx combines browser, server, and database development technologies to quickly develop high-throughput web applications. Use 65 existing Internet components to integrate Internet functions such as HTTP, FTP, SMTP, and NNTP into applications.
VB developers:The kylix programming module is the same as the event-driven visual programming module of VB. Therefore, with kylix, VB programmers will soon be able to easily write programs in Linux, as he did in windows. In fact, in Linux, apart from kylix, there is no programming tool that is so close to VB in terms of visual design, interactive debugger, internal code compiler, database, desktop applications, and so on. Different from VB, The kylix application uses the built-in kylix internal code compiler, which is very fast and can compile 4 million lines of statements in one minute.
To sum up, we can see that Borland is painstaking to attract experienced programmers as much as possible. At the same time, we can also see that kylix is indeed doing very well. I believe that in the future, it will certainly become the focus of attention and win the success it deserves.
Commercial applications:
Kylix is a complete RAD environment, which is easier to learn than Java and highly efficient in code execution. It can be used to develop applications that need to run in both Windows and Linux and are very performance sensitive.Technical Application:
Borland creatively combines open source code technology with its sophisticated Object Pascal internal code compiler and debugger. Delphi applications usually need to directly access windows and hardware. Therefore, when porting a program from windows to Linux, we should try to simplify the program and follow certain rules.
Advantages:
- Quick internal code compiler
- Easy to learn
- Great user interface with TCP/IP and database Components
- Excellent ide uses open source technology for revolutionary purposes
Disadvantages:
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- The association with C ++ and Java is too bad.
- Uses a new language and proprietary APIs
Minimum operation requirements:
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- Intel Pentium 200 MHz (recommended P2 400 MHz)
- 64 mb ram (recommended 128 MB)
- CD-ROM
- 175 MB (occupied space)
Supported LinuxOperating System:String 7
- Red Hat 6.2 or later
- Mandrake 7.2 or later
- SuSE 7.0 or later