TurboExplorer

[cairnswm]

Only 2 days left until Turbo explorer releases their first software copies. I cant wait. Being able to own a free version of Delphi will be a dream come true!

www.turboexplorer.com

I am sort of holding back on some tutorials to be able to do them in Turbo rather than FPC.

[Traveler]

I just saw the ECO is Child's Play video on that site. I'm curious what you think of that. Although quite impressive, for a 9 year old to make something like that, I thought the whole concept takes away the fun of programming. I mean, she didn't have to write a single line of code. Where's the fun in that?

[FNX]

That's great! I'm waiting to have my free copy of Delphi too as for now I
only have "backup" :P copies of delphi that come from my office :lol:

I've very very curious to see what's new/changed/improved!

Comments coming soon ;)

[Clootie]

Did they moved release time slightly?
+ 6 hours maybe?

[noeska]

the only pitty thing is that only one turbo can be installed per machine, now i do not know which one to download... delphiwin32 or .net ? Does anyone know how the turbo version relate to delphi2005 or delphi2006.

[czar]

I am just confused. Does this mean Delphi will only be available as TurboDelphi? Or will Borland continue to sell thei own version? If so why split the product into two?

The free win32 version does not allow any thirdparty components, doesn't that make it pointless if you want to make games using DelphiX,Omega, DJX, asphyre?

[noeska]

it seems when you have a bds installed (like delphi2005) you cannot install an turbo version at all..

here is the faq: http://bdn.borland.com/article/33659

delphi 2006 pro etc still be available as an bundled language edition.

[JSoftware]

I love it..!

Downloaded Delphi for win32 ofcourse and it installed like a breeze. The IDE is slick and unexpectedly responsive. Templates are nice, editor configuration is easy. All my code compiles!

I have yet to find out what this refactoring thing is but it sounds interresting! :D

This is Delphi 7 combined with visual studio! :twisted:

[czar]

So is it possible to install things like Omega and DelphiX?

[Robert Kosek]

Use those packages runtime, Czar. That's one of the restricted features.

But let me say this for the first time since Delphi 4...

HOLY CROW!

That wasn't what I was expecting at all! It was slick and optomized, not at all the recent "Borland's Bulk" feel to the IDE. The new memory manager is awesome, and the code hooks that are built in automatically (by default) are astounding! Also, the apps are smaller then BDS 2005 PE which is what I used before.

First good step from the NewCorp, so keep it up and you will get my $500!!

- One of your most skeptical users.

[savage]

News item posted.

[Traveler]

Hmm, I can't seem to make a connection, when going to the download page :(

Will try again later...

[FNX]

Hmm, I can't seem to make a connection, when going to the download page :(

Will try again later...

Yes, same problem here, since last night! It seems that the new turbos
are getting much attention from the mass as the 3 download ]Robert Kosek[/b]:
Do you have any idea on performance? Did the turbo team do something
about that? I'm interesting in some performance hints! Maybe if they
optimized the apps size, something could have been done for speed too?

[Legolas]

I'm dowloading now from delphipraxis :)
After some hesitation I have opted for delphi for .NET (for win32 I'll go on with delphi 6 PE and lazarus :P)

[JSoftware]

Legolas, Tell us about it when you get into it. I tried BDS with .Net and it was so much different and complicated from normal delphi that i uninstalled it and lost the installation file :?

[Robert Kosek]

@FNX: Not sure if there's a performance increase or not, but it is really smooth. The IDE lacks the big bulky elephant-in-a-teashop feel. ;) The compiled apps so far have been really smooth and no performance hits at all! App size isn't much smaller, maybe a handful of Kb, but it's a slight gain.

[JSoftware]

When i compiled my latest script language virtual machine version, the filesize increased by 6 kb into 109 kb when using BDS

Didn't feel any significant performance increase but I haven't benchmarked my solution yet

[Robert Kosek]

Hmm, strange. Perhaps there was yet another filesize increase. I can't really say, although for some reason it seems like the specific app I compiled shrank a bit. Dunno.

Perhaps it's due to J# etc...

Anyhow, we've plenty of diskspace to play with these days! 500gb drive from WD (Sata 3gb) for only $170 USD...

[tux]

it loads a lot faster then normal BDS 2006, but otherwise its pretty much the same (but its free so im not complaining :D )

[Robert Kosek]

My executable bloated from 398kb to 472kb, only 84k. Not too bad, but I wonder why. DevCo needs to cut back on the ever expanding bloat of subsequent Delphi versions. I couldn't notice, w/o a timer function on my functions, any performance changes good or bad.

Anyway, the IDE is loads better in any case.

[savage]

Does your Exe use the VCL? If it does, that will explain the increase in Exe size as there have been quite a few enhancements to the VCL in BDS 2006. There are also language enhancements to the compiler.

[JSoftware]

I discovered yesterday that I would get errors whenever I tried to set a string by using
pstring(allocatedpointer)^ := 'test';

I can easily reproduce it and the exact same code works fine in Delphi 7

[Firlefanz]

Like Czar I am totally confused.

I am using (a paid version) of Delphi 7 Pro.
I am making games using DanJetX (DX Headers based on Clootie Headers).

So does it make sense for me to download that Delphi for win 32 now? Is it totally free, will mye headers (I have them open source, path included in library, and components added) still work?

Is it better, am I allowed to use it commercial?

Thanks,
Firle

[cairnswm]

My understanding is that you will NOT be able to add new components to the compoent pallette in the free version. However the headers and other dynamincally created classes and components will work fine in your projects.

You may sell projects developed in the Free version of Turbo Delphi.

[savage]

I discovered yesterday that I would get errors whenever I tried to set a string by using
pstring(allocatedpointer)^ := 'test';

I can easily reproduce it and the exact same code works fine in Delphi 7

Do you get compile time or run time errors?

[JSoftware]

Just recieved an access violation and it shut down on run

[XProger]

Where is Turbo Delphi Explorer dcc32.exe? %)

[Clootie]

There is none! It's a limitation of free version! :)

[savage]

Just recieved an access violation and it shut down on run

A bit more info. AV in the IDE or where?

[jasonf]

My understanding is that you will NOT be able to add new components to the compoent pallette in the free version. However the headers and other dynamincally created classes and components will work fine in your projects.

You may sell projects developed in the Free version of Turbo Delphi.

Does this mean that DelphiX won't work?

[cairnswm]

You wont be able to install the components but you will be able to create them dynamically.

At least that is how I undertsand the information I have been able to read so far.

[JSoftware]

Just recieved an access violation and it shut down on run

A bit more info. AV in the IDE or where?

It's a console project. When run it'll just run until a certain point where it closes. Running the app in a console window i get the usual access violation message printed.
If i step through the program until the spot where it fails it'll give me a visual access violation and ask if i should break or continue. If i continue it'll terminate like before

[savage]

ok so it's a run-time error then. I think this may be due to the fact that in BDS 2006 string dereferencing is handled differently. There is a vague belling ringing about reading something about this, but right now the bells are so faint I wouldn't even know where to point you to. If it comes to me I'll post something here.

[JSoftware]

it's not really a problem anymore as i've changed it to be a pbytearray instead

[Legolas]

Well, I have tryed a little bit the turbo delphi .NET and it looks nice (except some crashing here and there :roll:)
As far I have understood, it is possible to make classic VCL apps and .NET apps (VCL Form Application Vs. Windows Form Application). The IDE can be set like the good old delphi with floating windows, so if someone is scared by the new interface, this can help ;)

I'm a bit disappointed for the lack of the .NET Compact Framework, because I would loved to make some PDA apps :(

[WILL]

I'm a bit disappointed for the lack of the .NET Compact Framework, because I would loved to make some PDA apps :(

Not to jump on the DevCo's back or anything, but Lazarus can already do this. :) *Without* .NET, using the LCL instead. (FPC supports PowerPC, right?)

[savage]

I'm a bit disappointed for the lack of the .NET Compact Framework, because I would loved to make some PDA apps :(

This is due for release as part of Highlander. If you look at the Borland roadmap for Delphi you'll see that CF support is due then.

[WILL]

Personally I think the Delphi and Delphi .NET suites should stay seperate. As they are in these Turbo versions.

I mean putting the two together is kind of like putting Micosoft Work and Excel in one program together. You get a mess. And thats sort of what happened with Delphi 2005.

(What is it with product versions made with the year of it's release ending with a '5' anyhow? :?)

If they continue this trend then perhaps we can hope to see a new Kylix (or finally rename the darn thing to 'Delphi for Linux') and posibly versions for the Mac.

The 2 could perfectly co-exist so long as the both of them conformed to a standard language outline. *ahem* ala Official Object Pascal standard. ;)

(Like how I plugged that huh? :D)

[noeska]

What is wrong with putting delphi and delphi .net in one package, i for once would very much like a combo like that. Using .net for web development and win32 for (game) applications. PS it is quite possible to run .net applications on linux already with mono! As an test case i have an webservice running build with delphi .net on a linux server with mono!

[Legolas]

I'm a bit disappointed for the lack of the .NET Compact Framework, because I would loved to make some PDA apps :(

Not to jump on the DevCo's back or anything, but Lazarus can already do this. :) *Without* .NET, using the LCL instead. (FPC supports PowerPC, right?)

Yes, but the lcl for eg. WinCE is still in alpha stage (even if I haven't tested it too).


This is due for release as part of Highlander. If you look at the Borland roadmap for Delphi you'll see that CF support is due then.
I see. At this point I hope that this CF support will be available for turbo ides too :D

[WILL]

What is wrong with putting delphi and delphi .net in one package

Well on the technical side is makes sense and is a VERY attractive concept. BUT in the corporate world the companies easily see the idea of a huge multi-purpose do-it-all compiler/ide suite as an excuse to overprice it. Seperate them and that excuse is gone. In fact to get someone to purchase them together they're more likely to offer a bundle deal.

The other reason is that the Delphi development team of the recent past, has shown it's inability to take on too many new technologies and innovations. (Bull-headedness on the part of the project planners/bosses if you ask me...)

It's the corporate theme to make everything marketable and only hand out little pieces at a time so that they don't exhaust their fat juicy cash cow. (To be honest this is the 'evil' approach that Google employees talk about in their mission statement.)

This is the problem that has become Borland. Having 2 projects running side-by side, it's possible that neither team would have the excuse that they are adding enough to justify a new version and a new product to sell, when we developers know that thats complete bull.

Pascal programmers want to develop in Linux, Mac and Win32/64. But we don't get that. We want to do mobile devices too. But we don't get that either. We did get code refactoring and other similar enhancements, yes. We did get .NET ok fine. But we also got husstled into a higher priced do-it-all suite that ran like crap and half of it we didn't need nor want.

Breaking things down and simplifying it is a good thing in a way. The DevCo is not Borland, thats clear, but I think that from a corporate vs the consumer side of things, it's a better bet than these mega-super suites that Borland has been pumping out for an underfunded department is crap.

It is nice in fact to see(well hear) the opposite of that for a change. :)

[FNX]

I've just received an email from an italian delphi newsletter with attached
this link. Most of you should already know how to but it can be useful for
medium-range users not so familiar with non-vcl coding :)

have a look!
http://www.danielstools.de/downloads/Tuts/TurboDelphi_install_components_en.pdf

[Legolas]

Hacking a bit it is possible to compile things for PDA too :)
All you have to do is:

1) download CF preview compiler from borland site
2) extract all stuff from .msi package
3) add DCCIL.exe to the delphi "Borland\BDS\4.0\Bin" folder
4) replace all .dcuil and .dcpil files in "Borland\BDS\4.0\lib\cf" folder (well, making a backup copy should be nice :P)
5) follow this (http://bdn.borland.com/article/0,1410,33066,00.html) guide

The bad thing is that DCCIL.exe is expired, so you need to move back your windows clock to 2005... :roll:

Well, it's a bit tricky, but it's good enough to make some testing :lol:

http://www.uppo.it/storage/f99fe783c41ba5a6ad734494415aa772.th.jpg (http://www.uppo.it/storage/f99fe783c41ba5a6ad734494415aa772.jpg)

[WILL]

Francesco, you keep this up and you're liable to be nicknamed the 'Port King'. :P

[Legolas]

Francesco, you keep this up and you're liable to be nicknamed the 'Port King'. :P
:king: :D

Not really a port though. I think that at Borland have not devoted too much in turbo release engineering, because with some tricks (see the previous one by FNX too) it is possible to bypass all turbo limitations

Well, it is even too easy to patch DCCIL.exe to bypass the expiration date check...

[Legolas]

Oh my... At Borland should post correct infos, imho... Well, I have discovered that turbo delphi for .net is capable to natively compile CF apps, without external compilers... The only thing to do is going here:

Project->Options...->Directories/Conditionals/

and adding "D:\your_path_to_borland\Borland\BDS\4.0\lib\cf" to the search path. :roll:

More infos (http://blog.marcocantu.com/blog/fcwithdelphi2006.html)

[FNX]

This two lines from Marco Cantu say it all... :(

"...However, this is not the case. Delphi works better than Borland is telling the world and this is a pity."

"PS. I did get in contact with some people at Borland mentioning the problem but I didn't receive a positive reply"

I just wonder WHY?!?

[Chebmaster]

After doing a lot of minor corrections, writing a perverted utility for converting all my code that was based on the macros, making more conversions, discovering that Win32 API support in Turbo is a complete crap, getting a bundle of AVs for free, I got my engine running.

What should I say?.. It's free, it works, it looks promising.
But after having to put this
{$ifndef fpc}
Const
WM_ACTIVATE = 6;
WM_KEYDOWN = 256;
WM_KEYUP = 257;
WM_SYSKEYDOWN = 260;
WM_SYSKEYUP = 261;
WM_LBUTTONDOWN = 513;
WM_LBUTTONUP = 514;
WM_RBUTTONDOWN = 516;
WM_RBUTTONUP = 517;
WM_MBUTTONDOWN = 519;
WM_MBUTTONUP = 520;
WM_MOUSEMOVE = 512;
WM_MOUSEWHEEL = 522;
WM_SYSCOMMAND = 274;
WM_SIZE = 5;
WM_CLOSE = 16;
WM_DESTROY = 2;
{$endif}
to make my program work I am a bit wary. Is it really stable?.. Wil it stay free for long?.. Questions, questions... :?

[savage]

I'm surprise by that, usually all those messages are found in the "Messages" Delphi Unit. Do you have Messages as part of you uses clause?

[Chebmaster]

"messages"...? Not in the "windows" unit as in Free Pascal...?
Last time I worked with Delphi, it was 3 or 4 years ago, and that was Delphi 4. Since then I use only Free Pascal.

[savage]

In current versions of Delphi it is in Messages.pas. API is in Windows.pas and the Windows message constants are in Messages.pas.