What Borland did with Delphi was to design the compiler to work together with exactly one library (VCL), exactly one set of development tools (object inspector etc.) on exactly one platform (Windows). I don't like this approach because it contradicts the general applicability of a compiler.

NO WAY! The only odd thing about Delphi is the compiler portion. The whole system is designed to be cross platform(unlike C/C++,Pascal,et cetera) from the ground up. The only thing preventing it is that Borland is too skint/not interested in doing it. You can replace the VCL if you so wish the only thing you lose is compatibility with the IDE. The Windows VCL implementation could quite easily(and I mean this) be swapped out and replaced with an X-Windows-VCL, Mac-VCL, NEXT-VCL, etc,etc,etc. It should be possible to build(as in compile) a standard(i.e. not using Windows fns direct) Delphi application on any compatible compiler/processor/OS combination without touching the source at ALL. GNU-Delphi is a real possibility. The only thing you would lose is the pretty IDE which, naturally, remains the property of Borland...afterall, everyone has a Windows box to do the initial development on.

I would be really interested in a command line cross-compiler for Delphi that would allow me to port my existing Delphi software to the Mac, X Windows,etc for nil effort. I build educational software for a living which gets sold to the general public/consumer(all PC based) and to teachers/schools/colleges,etc which for various political reasons use a wide variety of muck including Macs....I want to sell to these folk...these folk want to buy from me...but they don't want to have to re-equip with PCs....and doing serious development on anything other than Delphi is out of the question as it would quadruple the lead time/number of staff required to complete a given project.

fyi, this is why I like GNU-Pascal.

yours (rantingly), Dave

Dave Fiddes, CALM Software Production Officer Department of Mathematics, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh email D.J.Fiddes@hw.ac.uk - Tel: 0131-451-3251