Kylix is here!
It's hot. It's RAD. It's the biggest news at LinuxWorld Conference and Expo.
You should hear the buzz on the show floor at LinuxWorld. "Have you seen
Kylix yet?" "What are they charging for it, again?" "Have
you heard when it's shipping?" "Did you see that cool demo?"
Kylix was introduced at 4 p.m. Wednesday, January 31, 2001, at Borland's
booth -- number 1603 -- on the conference floor. Developers crowded into the
booth to hear the first public disclosure of the product's specifications and
see a demo of Kylix in action.
The legend on the screen told the whole story:
Kylix
Native Rapid Application
Development for Linux
Within a few minutes, everyone in the crowded booth learned what Kylix was
all about, from the intuitive visual design environment to the state-of-the-art
optimizing native-code compiler, from the interactive debugger to the
comprehensive suite of bundled components.
Kylix
is intended to support the rapid development of robust applications for the
Linux platform, with special support for user-interface construction,
component-based development, Apache Web Server applications, data-driven
distributed database apps, and scalable Web-based applications. Kylix isn't just
the first native-code RAD tool for Linux: It brings all the strengths of
Borland's proven Delphi and C++Builder tools to the Linux platform. It's a
component-based development environment for two-way visual development of GUI,
Internet, database, and Web server applications.
Bill Claybrook, research director for Aberdeen Group, describes Kylix's
promise this way: "To bring Linux into the mainstream, it needs
professional applications. Linux developers need a simplified and standardized
environment for creating these applications faster, and Kylix meets this need
like no other development environment has. Kylix builds on the existing skills,
and maintains the same development paradigm, that Windows developers already
have, to considerably speed their time-to-market."
WHAT KYLIX IS GOOD FOR. Who needs Kylix? The short answer is, anyone
who needs to deliver top-quality native applications for Linux on schedule. The
short answer is that Kylix is particularly well-suited to several distinct
groups of developers.
Professionals who currently use Borland Delphi will feel productive with
Kylix right away. Kylix is built on proven Delphi technology, with a new
cross-platform component library -- CLX -- which replaces the VCL. Modeled after
the award-winning component library of Borland Delphi and C++Builder, CLX will
simplify the migration of Windows-based programs -- and Windows-based
programmers -- to the Linux platform. The Kylix IDE supports the drag-and-drop
development of component-based applications, and it will be supported by a wide
range of open source and commercial components.
Millions of programmers who use C++ and Visual Basic on the Windows platform
will find plenty to like too. Kylix builds upon and extends the familiar Windows
visual programming model to Kylix, allowing very rapid construction of native
Linux apps for the desktop.
Developers who currently write Linux applications will now have access to a
highly productive alternative, a RAD environment that will empower them to
deliver applications much more quickly and enjoyably, with much less repetitive
coding and fewer tool-integration headaches.
Apache
developers will accelerate their Web server development with NetCLX, which
combines browser, server, and database development technologies to quickly
deliver scalable Web applications that support a large number of users and large
volumes of data.
And with DataCLX and dbExpress, database developers will easily integrate
corporate information into applications via high-speed drivers for IBM DB2,
Oracle 8i, InterBase, and MySQL.
In short, Kylix is the ideal choice for developers who seek an efficient,
highly productive tool to assist them in the creation of GUI, Internet,
database, and Web server applications.
CERTIFIED DISTRIBUTIONS. Linux distributions from SuSE, Red Hat, and
MandrakeSoft are certified for Kylix, which means these distributions offer
developers the ability to quickly and easily developer applications with Kylix.
"We are very excited to be working with Borland," says Volker
Wiegand, president of SuSE Inc. "Kylix will bring with it countless
developers and applications, and begin the next wave in Linux development.
Combining Kylix's rapid application development with open source will accelerate
the speed with which innovations will occur in the Linux community."
Caldera chief technology officer Drew Spencer agrees: "Linux needs
development environments like Kylix to build critical applications and
solutions. Our upcoming server and desktop products will be 'Kylix-ready' and we
will be certifying Kylix for Caldera."
THREE
KYLIKES. (YES, THAT'S HOW YOU PLURALIZE IT.) Kylix will be
delivered in three initial versions: Kylix Server Developer ($1,999) for
professional and corporate Apache Web developers, Kylix Desktop Developer ($999)
for professional application developers, and Kylix Open Edition for open source
and (GPL) free software developers. The Open Edition will be available for free
download from Borland's Web site or may be purchased for $99, which includes
hardcopy documentation and installation CD. Kylix Server Developer and Kylix
Desktop Developer will be available before the end of the first quarter of 2001;
the Open Edition will be available by midyear.
DATABASE SUPPORT. Developers who use the Server Developer edition of
Kylix will benefit from seamless integration of enterprise-class data from IBM
DB2 and Oracle 8i databases. The Server edition includes dbExpress, an open
database architecture for accessing corporate data. dbExpress includes freely
deployable, high-performance native drivers for DB2 and Oracle 8i, as well as
the MySQL and InterBase open source databases. dbExpress integrates seamlessly
with NetCLX for accelerated Apache Web Server development and with Visual CLX
for building sophisticated GUI apps for the desktop.
"We are pleased that Borland is supporting the Apache Web Server
community with Kylix," says Roy Fielding, chairman of the Apache Software
Foundation. "The Apache project encourages the adoption of open-source
software by commercial software vendors in order to give our community the
broadest possible choice of tools and add-ons."
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES. For more on Kylix, check out the following
resources:
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