Borland Kylix
| Company type | Software product |
|---|---|
| Industry | Software development |
| Predecessor | Borland Delphi, Borland C++ Builder |
| Founded | March 7, 2001 |
| Defunct | 2011 |
| Fate | Discontinued; replaced by FireMonkey framework |
Area served | Linux software development |
Key people | Danny Thorpe (noted contributor) |
| Products | Integrated development environment, compiler for Object Pascal and C++ |
| Owner | Borland Software Corporation |
| Parent | Borland Software Corporation |
Borland Kylix was an integrated development environment (IDE) and compiler designed for Linux, initially marketed by Borland before being discontinued. It drew its foundation from Borland Delphi and Borland C++ Builder, both of which operate on Microsoft Windows. The name "Kylix" references an ancient Greek drinking vessel and was aimed specifically at Linux application development. Today, its nearest counterpart is the open-source Lazarus IDE, which supports Delphi-compatible code. By 2010, Embarcadero reintroduced cross-platform capabilities through a Delphi compiler targeting Mac and Linux platforms, while Kylix itself was phased out by 2011 in favor of the FireMonkey framework.
Features
Kylix enabled programming primarily in Object Pascal and C++, concentrating on command-line tools and particularly graphical user interface (GUI) applications. It was not designed for low-level programming such as creating device drivers or kernel modules.
The IDE operated by running Delphi 5 within the Wine compatibility layer, featuring a rapid native compiler, navigation tools, automatic code completion, and parameter hints. Although the debugger was operational, it was known for sluggish performance and occasional instability.
Included with Kylix was the CLX, a Linux version of Borland’s VCL. CLX offered component-based controls that were both visual—such as buttons and panels—and non-visual, like timers, managed through an "Object Inspector" interface for properties and events. Unlike Delphi’s VCL, which is closely tied to the Windows Win32 API, CLX utilized Trolltech’s Qt framework to provide cross-platform functionality. However, this difference meant CLX did not fully replicate VCL compatibility, often requiring modifications when porting Delphi applications to Kylix. From Delphi 6 onwards, Borland also made CLX available on Windows to improve cross-platform development possibilities.
History
On September 28, 1999, Inprise Corporation announced it was developing a high-performance Linux application environment supporting C, C++, and Delphi languages under the codename Kylix, targeting a 2000 release.
By March 24, 2000, Inprise/Borland convened over 200 third-party developers, consultants, trainers, and vendors to prepare software and services compatible with Kylix.
Borland Software Corporation officially launched Borland Kylix on March 7, 2001, initially distributing it to U.S. customers using Dell Precision Workstations. Later versions included Borland Kylix 2, released on October 23, 2001, which introduced Linux’s first web services solution; and Borland Kylix 3 on August 13, 2002, which improved rapid C++ development tools for Linux programmers globally.
By around 2005, Borland had ceased further development of Kylix.
Danny Thorpe significantly contributed by obtaining funding for the Linux adaptation of Delphi and modifying the Delphi compiler to generate Linux-compatible executables. Although both Delphi and Kylix targeted 32-bit Intel architectures, adapting to Linux’s distinct calling conventions and executable formats demanded considerable effort.
Legacy
In 2009, Embarcadero revealed a roadmap for Delphi and C++Builder that included project Delphi "X," focused on enabling cross-compilation for Mac and Linux platforms. The initiative planned to produce a new iteration of Kylix integrated into Delphi and C++Builder IDEs on Windows that would allow coding and compiling within Windows while deploying applications on Linux systems. Nevertheless, this project was ultimately removed from the official roadmaps by the XE3-4 releases; however, certain elements of project X were incorporated into support for mobile devices and OS X starting with XE2 and XE3.
On February 8, 2016, Embarcadero announced an updated development plan featuring Linux server support within RAD Studio version 10.2 ("Godzilla"), highlighting enhanced enterprise deployment features. The launch of RAD Studio 10.2 on March 22, 2017 expanded options for deploying to Linux environments along with multi-tenancy capabilities for RAD Server—demonstrating Embarcadero’s ongoing dedication to cross-platform software development.
See also
External links
- Borland Kylix — Official site from Borland Software Corporation
- Darren Kosinski. Integration of Mozilla in Kylix 2 Embarcadero Technologies, Inc.
- Crosskylix [1] — complimentary toolkit that incorporates the Borland Kylix compiler within the Delphi Windows IDE