Delphi / Object Pascal

Delphi (RAD Studio) and Free Pascal (Lazarus) keep Object Pascal alive. It is famous for Single EXE deployment and instant compilation.

When to Use

• Windows Desktop Apps: The VCL framework is still the fastest way to build native Windows GUIs.
• Legacy Maintenance: Massive industrial controllers in Europe use Delphi.
• Cross-Platform: FireMonkey (FMX) and Lazarus allow targeting Mac/Linux.

Core Concepts

VCL / LCL

Visual Component Library. Drag-and-drop UI building.

Units

interface, implementation sections. Strict modularity.

RTTI

Runtime Type Information (Reflection) was pioneered here.

Best Practices (2025)

Do:

• Use Generics: TList<T> (modern Object Pascal).
• Use Lazarus: For open-source cross-platform development (Free Pascal 3.2+).
• Manage Memory: Use try..finally blocks for Free.

Don't:

• Don't use With: It makes scoping ambiguous.

References

• Free Pascal