Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Embarcadero Bridges Gap From Desktop to Mobile - supports iOS in C++Builder XE5

marketwired.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

31–40 of 40 posts

Re: Embarcadero Bridges Gap From Desktop to Mobile - supports iOS in C++Builder XE5

#31

Post by 72deluxe »

I used to use Borland's products in a job. They used C++ Builder 6 and migrated their code to the later compiler, Codegear 2007 and it was truly dire (6 was alright). It was exceptionally buggy, the linker continually crashed, and the help system took 14 hours to install (not an exaggeration). The VCL had difficulty with manifests and proper theming on XP and above I think (particularly tab pages) and it desperately needed fixing / replacing. The company tested the version after 2007 and it would compile illegal C++.

I think after they spent years developing C++ Architect and then chucking it in the bin, many of the developers jumped ship and Borland was left with few developers, a shell of its former self. They also had stupid products like their PHP IDE (I wonder how many they actually sold???) and as far as I know the company I used to work for is still making software using the creaking aging VCL! A large code base to rewrite is no fun!

A shame for Borland (or whatever they are called these days) but I am not inclined to buy this software.

Re: Embarcadero Bridges Gap From Desktop to Mobile - supports iOS in C++Builder XE5

#32

Post by lobster_johnson »

pjmlp wrote: post #30
lobster_johnson wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's a curious thing, technology exposure and ending up using — and being limited by — what you know exists. I remember getting an Amiga in the early 1990s. I had programmed in assembly language on the C64, so on the Amiga I learned the Motorola 68000 assembly language, of course. I didn't know any other type of programming (other than BASIC). I had heard about C, but I didn't know people used it to write software on…

Yeah, on those days we only got to know what our friends new. No Internet, No BBS, No Network.

Exactly!

Re: Embarcadero Bridges Gap From Desktop to Mobile - supports iOS in C++Builder XE5

#33

Post by pjmlp »

cmollis wrote: post #27

here's what most cross-platform library vendors never get: it's actually easier, and ultimately faster, to learn each environment's native API, then learn one cross-platform API and all of the idiosyncrasies on each platform it supports. Inevitably, there will be some aspect of the native platform that doesn't work correctly within the x-platform sdk and then you have to hack around it.

The first time I got to learn that was when I had to maintain a server application across the commercial UNIXes of the 90's.

POSIX was not as portable as they advertised.

Re: Embarcadero Bridges Gap From Desktop to Mobile - supports iOS in C++Builder XE5

#34

Post by tux10 »

mamcx wrote: post #26
tux10 wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah I can't remember the last place I saw running any Borland/Embarcadero software with the exception of some really old stuff still compiled with C++Builder6. That place was also running Visual Studio 6 for some stuff too :) Ahh the memories.

Delphi 3 was the first program that I pay for (second was visual foxpro). Obviously, at US99 a student like me could do it. I'm moderator in the http://www.clubdelphi.com and is sad to see all the same faces all the time. New blood is hard to get, specially in latin america, when .NET is affordable/free and all the open source stuff. Is sad that the misguided strategy that start with the Borland has pass up to Embarc…

Delphi back in the late 90s was kick ass. Nothing could touch it for desktop application development in my opinion. The people who forced themselves to use MFC and C++ on Windows were missing out big time on the ease of use of Delphi and VCL. It wasn't until C# and .NET that things got to the same ease of development as I was used to with Delphi.

Re: Embarcadero Bridges Gap From Desktop to Mobile - supports iOS in C++Builder XE5

#35

Post by 72deluxe »

onezeno wrote: post #29
tux10 wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah I can't remember the last place I saw running any Borland/Embarcadero software with the exception of some really old stuff still compiled with C++Builder6. That place was also running Visual Studio 6 for some stuff too :) Ahh the memories.

I work in C++Builder 6 still (small company). I'm trying to get things ported to Qt.

Wow, that thing is ancient! I think their Kylix range used an old Qt back end, or was it wx?

Re: Embarcadero Bridges Gap From Desktop to Mobile - supports iOS in C++Builder XE5

#36

Post by tux10 »

onezeno wrote: post #29
tux10 wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah I can't remember the last place I saw running any Borland/Embarcadero software with the exception of some really old stuff still compiled with C++Builder6. That place was also running Visual Studio 6 for some stuff too :) Ahh the memories.

I work in C++Builder 6 still (small company). I'm trying to get things ported to Qt.

What OS are you running it on out of interest? Does it still run on modern platforms?

Re: Embarcadero Bridges Gap From Desktop to Mobile - supports iOS in C++Builder XE5

#37

Post by dragonwriter »

pjmlp wrote: post #7
japaget wrote: post #2

Embarcadero C++Builder is the successor to Borland's Turbo C. It has changed names several times, having been marketed under the brands Borland, Inprise, CodeGear, and Embarcadero.

Actually Borland C++. The guys responsible for those changes of brand killed Borland products. :(

> Actually Borland C++.

Actually, Borland C++Builder.

Re: Embarcadero Bridges Gap From Desktop to Mobile - supports iOS in C++Builder XE5

#38

Post by onezeno »

tux10 wrote: post #36
onezeno wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I work in C++Builder 6 still (small company). I'm trying to get things ported to Qt.

What OS are you running it on out of interest? Does it still run on modern platforms?

It runs on Windows 7.

Re: Embarcadero Bridges Gap From Desktop to Mobile - supports iOS in C++Builder XE5

#39

Post by pjmlp »

dragonwriter wrote: post #37
pjmlp wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Actually Borland C++. The guys responsible for those changes of brand killed Borland products. :(

> Actually Borland C++. Actually, Borland C++Builder.

Yeah, you are right. I went a bit far into the past.

Re: Embarcadero Bridges Gap From Desktop to Mobile - supports iOS in C++Builder XE5

#40

Post by pjmlp »

tux10 wrote: post #34
mamcx wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Delphi 3 was the first program that I pay for (second was visual foxpro). Obviously, at US99 a student like me could do it. I'm moderator in the http://www.clubdelphi.com and is sad to see all the same faces all the time. New blood is hard to get, specially in latin america, when .NET is affordable/free and all the open source stuff. Is sad that the misguided strategy that start with the Borland has pass up to Embarc…

Delphi back in the late 90s was kick ass. Nothing could touch it for desktop application development in my opinion. The people who forced themselves to use MFC and C++ on Windows were missing out big time on the ease of use of Delphi and VCL. It wasn't until C# and .NET that things got to the same ease of development as I was used to with Delphi.

And only now Microsoft is discussing the possibility of having a pure ahead of time native compiler for C#.
Post reply on HN