Visual Studio Information for Borland Delphi Developers

Visual Studio Information for Borland Delphi Developers

This page has been put together specifically with the Borland Delphi developer in mind. We’ve fielded many questions from Delphi users asking about our current product set and roadmap in relation to similar Delphi products. Here you’ll find answers to some of those questions to help you learn about and evaluate the Visual Studio product range.

1.	I have many applications that run on the Windows operating system that I wrote using Borland Delphi. Will these applications continue to work? Microsoft has a long history of providing a platform that its partners and customers can build applications on top of. Microsoft has respect for the creativity and ingenuity of the developers that build applications on Windows using any tool they choose. To support applications built using COM based technology or .NET Framework applications, Microsoft is continuing to invest in these technologies for the foreseeable future. Both COM and the .NET Framework are supported parts of the overall Windows platform and will be supported for the foreseeable future, ensuring your Borland Delphi applications continue to operate. As has always been the case, socialization testing of your application is appropriate for all new versions of the platform.
2.	What about the developer tools roadmap? Is Microsoft committed to supporting its developer base going forward? Yes. Microsoft has, and always will be, a software company, with developers at the center of the software world. From the first copy of BASIC for the Altair, to today’s Windows, web and web services development worlds, Microsoft is committed to investing in its development platform and tools. Our support lifecycle can be referenced here.
3.	I used Borland Delphi to build data driven Windows applications rapidly. What does Microsoft offer in this space? Visual Studio – like the newer versions of Borland Delphi – comes with a choice of languages, one of which is Visual Basic. Microsoft has invested, and will continue to invest, in its Visual Basic language for the best rapid application development experience on top of the Microsoft .NET Framework. Visual Basic is the right language, and Visual Studio the right tool, for building Windows and web based applications rapidly.
4.	I work in a team environment using Borland products, is their an offering from Microsoft that can help if we move to Visual Studio? Yes. Microsoft recently released Visual Studio Team System. The system consists of a rich server platform that offers source code control, work item tracking (where a work item is a bug, requirement, testing task etc), reporting, a big build system and collaboration. Check out the Visual Studio Team System page here.
5.	I use C# within my Borland Delphi IDE. What’s the best product to use for C# development for new developments? For student and hobbyist use, Visual C# Express Edition is the best option. This is a free download. For developers using Borland Delphi C# and building ASP.NET pages, consider application compatibility by downloading the free Visual Web Developer Express and setting your environment up for C# development. For professional developers working standalone, Visual Studio Standard is the best version. This has all of the Visual Languages; however you can select C# as your default environment. For professional developers in a small team environment (i.e. some source code and build requirements), Visual Studio Professional is the best option. For enterprise developers working in large teams of architects, developers and testers, consider the newest member to the Visual Studio family, Visual Studio Team System.
6.	I currently use C++ within Borland Delphi – what’s the best Visual Studio product to consider? C++ is one of the Visual Languages supported by Visual Studio. Microsoft has also built C++ support into the language so that your native code can work with managed code running on the .NET Framework. For hobbyists and students, download the free Visual C++ Express Edition today. For professional developers working standalone, Visual Studio Standard is the best version for you. You can set C++ as the default development environment and get building applications straight away. For professional developers working with source code control and more complex remote environments, Visual Studio Professional is the best choice.
7.	I used the Java language support within Borland Delphi, is there anything Microsoft offers here? Microsoft offers Visual J#, a Java language environment that targets the Microsoft .NET Framework. Microsoft does not offer any products that target the Sun Java Runtime.
8.	I’ve heard Microsoft offers tools for building applications on mobile devices and even within Microsoft Office. What are these tools? Every Visual Studio product, from Visual Studio Standard and up, contains support for building applications that run on the .NET Compact Framework. The .NET Compact Framework is available on smartphones, PocketPCs and other mobile devices. You can target the one runtime environment and have your application deployed on a multitude of devices. Check out the mobile development centre here. Visual Studio 2005 Tools for Office contains project support for building applications within the Microsoft Office Suite. For more information see this page.
9.	Anders Hejlsberg was instrumental in the development of Borland Delphi and he has been working at Microsoft for some years now. What has he been working on? Anders Hejlsberg was one of the key architects behind the .NET Framework and the language known as C#. You can find out more about these projects here: Behind the CodeRoom: Life and Times of Anders Hejlsberg: http://msdn.microsoft.com/office/understanding/vsto/default.aspx The C# Design Process: A Conversation with Anders Hejlsberg: http://msdn.microsoft.com/office/understanding/vsto/default.aspx More recently, Anders has been working on a .NET Framework innovation known as Language integrated query. You can watch him discuss this technology here: http://channel9.msdn.com/ShowPost.aspx?PostID=114680