Delphi and the Compact Framework, Real Soon Now?

David I posts about a preview they are showing at the SDC sessions. From the blog post it appears that we may very well see a preview compiler targeting the .NET Compact Framework prior to the next major release of Delphi.

While details are sketchy it is extremely positive to hear about the compiler showing up prior to the next major release. Hopefully we can do our bit and flush out any major platform issues as part of a preview so the next major release can have something robust and workable.

Some background materials:
My point of view
Danny's preview of Delphi on CF
Allen's follow up on VCL/WinForms positioning


Kudos to the Delphi team for pushing it out the door :).

This is probably a good time for you to pick up Software Assurance if you haven't already. After you figure out what it is it doesn't make sense to not have it if you are using any Borland Tools.

Delphi and CaliberRM, getting an error

I was delighted to see the CaliberRM 2005 plugin being released (preview at least). However I had already downloaded and fiddled with the 5.1 SDK so I was left with a wonderful Unable to load Java VM specified in C:\Program Files\Borland\CaliberRM SDK 7.0\lib\CaliberRMSDK70.ini error message each time I tried to install the package. Pretty much the same thing I got when I wanted to try CaliberRM after having installed Delphi 2005. In my prior attempt I simply gave up. I continued on with my review of CaliberRM and must say that I really do like it (or anything like it). I tried it on a small project and the additional process and breakdown resulted in some extremely clear requirements being pumped out the other end. So, even within integration into the Delphi IDE I am impressed with the tool as a whole.

I figured the updated plugin would fix my problems... all it did was change the error message from the 5.1 SDK message to the 7.0 SDK message :(. Since my eval period is coming to a close I really did want to see it working in the environment. I tried reinstalling the SDK (well, a repair install on Caliber anyway) but that didn't resolve the problem. Since the SDK seems to be merged with the StarTeam SDK I figured I would start searching on that for some tips... StarTeam Support Entry solves the problem very nicely.

Now I can finally see if the integration is of any benefit :).

Free Pascal 2.0 Released

For those interested in moderately compatible alternatives to Delphi you should definitely check out FreePascal 2.0 release. The compiler core has been rewritten and the beta versions I have played with seemed to work quite well. I was hoping to see Itanium support though :(.

Cyclomatic Complexity for Delphi

I am releasing an internal tool for determining Cyclomatic Complexity of Delphi (or Pascal) source code. Cyclomatic complexity is a great way to determine the level of unit testing required on different methods in a class or module. It is an integrated tool in the Delphi IDE and supports Delphi 6, 7, and 2005. The wizard integration is something new so there might be a glitch or two - let me know.

Anyway, you can find out more on the CCP page.

Update: There was a bug when exiting Delphi if you had any ccp messages in the message view. An updated 0.9.1.2006 build and source are on the site now for anyone that downloaded the software already. You can confirm the version by right clicking on the bpl and choosing properties.