Getting a glimpse of Kylix

The Kylix Kick Start seminar was the official launch event for the Kylix community.

By J.D. Hildebrand

On Monday, March 20, 150 tool and component builders gathered at Borland's Scotts Valley headquarters for the Kylix Kick Start seminar: a first glimpse at project Kylix. I don't know who picked the date, but it turned out to be appropriate -- the first day of spring, a time for new beginnings.

The fact-packed program ran from registration at 8 a.m. until the final Q&A session come to a close at 7 p.m. Along the way, a dozen Kylix engineers and project managers briefed the audience on architectural features and technical details of the project. For most of us, it was the first chance to see Kylix running.

Yes, we saw it run. We saw it compile code. We saw Borland engineers write component-based GUI apps under Windows and run them on Linux. And we saw Linux code run on Windows after recompilation, with no source changes.

I'd love to tell you everything we learned, but it was an NDA session, and most of the details are still under wraps. And the truth is, the details we covered are most appropriate for component vendors, not developers. Most of the technical information that was presented related to under-the-hood arcana that component builders will have to know but Kylix users won't.

A GREAT THOUGHT

As you probably know, Kylix is the code name for a project that will bring Delphi and C++Builder to the Linux platform. Inprise has committed to a mid-2000 release date for the initial Kylix package, which will be based on Delphi, with C++Builder following shortly.

When a newsgroup newbie asks about Kylix, he inevitably receives the same answer: "It's Delphi for Linux." Michael Swindell, the director of product management for Inprise/Borland's Linux tools, addressed that point head-on.

"You've probably heard that Kylix is 'Delphi for Linux,'" he said. "That's not right. It's Delphi, plus all the books and magazines, all the third-party components, the tools, the partners, the customers. Kylix is the entire community."

That statement really rang true for me. Delphi is more than a great product. It's Marco Cantu's great articles and enthusiasm, Dr. Bob's hat, Charlie Calvert's lucid explanations. It's a style of programming that becomes a style of living, somehow, a clarity and economy of expression that makes large programming problems seem small. It's Delphi Informant and The Delphi Magazine and all the articles in all the other journals. It's parties and meet-the-team sessions at BorCons over the years. It's Turbo Power and Raize and -- well, you get what I mean. Delphi isn't just a product. It's a community.

And now, thanks to the commitment and hard work of the product teams, that community is going to be the first to benefit from RAD on Linux.

Linux support is the #1 top requested feature among Delphi programmers, Swindell said. Delphi is the #1 top requested application among Linux programmers.

KEEPING THE CATS IN THE BAG

The great news for Delphi programmers -- and C++Builder programmers, of course, but for Delphi programmers first -- is that Kylix isn't just the language. It's not just a command-line compiler. It's a complete RAD environment. Third-party components. Everything you've learned about Delphi programming will still be true on the new platform.

There are some changes, of course. There will be a new, cross-platform version of VCL to learn. From what we saw of it, it looked pretty familiar, more like a rev of VCL than a brand-new app framework. There's support for new Linux-platform standards, and the development teams may take advantage of this opportunity to drop support for some old and no longer used technologies. Vendors heard briefings on database support, middleware considerations, Internet development, the compiler, the runtime library, and more.

All in all, developers will find the differences between Kylix and today's Windows-based versions of Delphi minor. "For most developers," Swindell said, "the biggest obstacle in moving to Kylix will be a shortage of Linux versions of third-party components." That's why the team brought component vendors into the project at this early date -- so the vendors could begin making Linux plans. So that on the day Kylix ships, the tools and components that programmers rely upon are ready to join them on the Linux platform.

THE FIRST DAY OF SPRING

What I found most striking about the event was the buzz among the attendees. I must have had a half-dozen people make the same remark to me before lunch: "It's like Windows 3.0 all over again." The excitement of a new platform, of getting in at the ground floor. Yes, there are some platform-specific technical details to master. But this time we can build upon our experience on Windows. This time we'll have a familiar language and a mature development environment we can count on. And this time we'll be first.

A curious thing is happening in the market. Kylix is attracting new programmers to Delphi, especially Visual Basic programmers who understand the benefits of a component-based RAD environment but who are not optimistic about their language making the move to Linux. These programmers are interested in using Kylix when it becomes available...but they're also picking up the Windows version of Delphi to use today. That's one language to learn and use and support, one component model to rely upon, and all the benefits of portability between Windows and Linux. Surprisingly -- well, it's surprising to me -- the announcement that a Linux version of Delphi will be available later this year has made the Windows version more popular today.

If you are a member of the Inprise/Borland Tool & Component Builder program and you were unable to attend the Kick Start, get in touch with your Developer Relations contact right away. Portions of the program will be repeated in selected cities in the weeks to come.

If you're like me, a hacker who can't wait to learn more about Kylix and get started programming on Linux, keep checking in at the Community site's Linux pages. We're committed to making the site a central repository for Kylix news as it becomes available. And don't miss this year's Inprise/Borland Conference in San Diego. It will be a great opportunity to see Kylix in action.

An award-winning writer and editor, J.D. Hildebrand is the content director and editor-in-chief of Inprise's developer community.