6 ms·

I recently tried out Lazarus, and besides looking a bit dated, it works REALLY well. I had no Pascal experience so it was also overwhelming for a hello world ap

I recently tried out Lazarus, and besides looking a bit dated, it works REALLY well. I had no Pascal experience so it was also overwhelming for a hello world app. But after the basic Pascal "Hello World" command line app, a GUI app didn't even require a tutorial to get working. Really impressed and am considering Pascal for a project.

SXX 9y ago
For me as for the guy who only look at Lazarus not as developer, but as user who just go to compile map editor of our game (developed by other very skilled developer) main frustration was multi-windows interface. Not that I can't understand why some would prefer to work in that mode, but that alone make it feel more dated than it's actually is. It's still weird why they still ship it in multi-window mode by default, but fortunately all you need to do is install "anchor docking" and then it's become a lot more usable for guys like me. Also ability to patch and recompile your own IDE on the fly without waiting for half of hour to it to compile is just great. Nothing like that is possible in case of 99% C++ projects.
- wolfgke 9y ago
  > main frustration was multi-windows interface. Multiple windows are very comfortable if you have multiple displays connected to your computer.
  - gfody 9y ago
    Lazarus is basically a Delphi 2 clone. Delphi ditched the multiple floating windows design starting in version 3 and every subsequent version has been the more traditional "MDI" design similar to Visual Studio. I really like that Lazarus kept the floating window design because it's nice to be able to see your desktop, the wallpaper is more pleasant than whatever solid color background is on the MDI client, and you can access tools and things by just clicking through to your desktop icons. Lazarus is like the best version of Delphi frozen in time.
    - fiddlerwoaroof 9y ago
      This isn't true, Delphi 4 definitely had the multiple windows setup
      - dguaraglia 9y ago
        But you could disable it. The multi-window thing was something Delphi lifted directly from Visual Basic, and even VB dropped it (well, more like it got swallowed by VB.NET and Visual Studio.)
        squarefoot 9y ago
        With monitors getting bigger we can abandon the multi window way and embrace something better, but surely not MDI which to me is even worse. Tiling is the answer: a giant single window containing the entire application, and a layout definition stating what section appears where and at what size (read: area percentage). Options to maximize the active area can be implemented, but the goal should be freeing the user from being forced to find and move windows from below other windows or partially gone out of the screen.
        gfody 9y ago
        I think Visual Studio has the right idea with being primarily MDI but then all of the various windows can detach and float to other screens and wherever. I think if Windows would just render your desktop background on the MDI background instead of a solid color that would be a nice system setting.
      - gfody 9y ago
        I think maybe Delphi 5 was the first version where it stopped even being an option. I remember 3 was MDI and I'm surprised I never bothered looking for the option to switch it back.
    - yardshop 9y ago
      The floating windows were still very much present in Delphi 7, my preferred arrangement [0]. D7 was the last "good" version before the .NET era. Actually I remember the buzz around Lazarus and Free Pascal really growing when the .NET versions of Delphi came out. So I think its fair to say Lazarus took plenty of influence from versions later than D2. [0] http://i.imgur.com/gHQR6aH.png http://i.imgur.com/gHQR6aH.png
  - SXX 9y ago
    I do have two monitors and understand multi-window mode has it's uses, but for any person who used to [name standard IDE] it's frustrating first impression. It's basically gives false sense of complexity to the tech that actually easy to use.

SXX 9y ago

For me as for the guy who only look at Lazarus not as developer, but as user who just go to compile map editor of our game (developed by other very skilled developer) main frustration was multi-windows interface. Not that I can't understand why some would prefer to work in that mode, but that alone make it feel more dated than it's actually is. It's still weird why they still ship it in multi-window mode by default, but fortunately all you need to do is install "anchor docking" and then it's become a lot more usable for guys like me. Also ability to patch and recompile your own IDE on the fly without waiting for half of hour to it to compile is just great. Nothing like that is possible in case of 99% C++ projects.

wolfgke 9y ago
> main frustration was multi-windows interface. Multiple windows are very comfortable if you have multiple displays connected to your computer.
- gfody 9y ago
  Lazarus is basically a Delphi 2 clone. Delphi ditched the multiple floating windows design starting in version 3 and every subsequent version has been the more traditional "MDI" design similar to Visual Studio. I really like that Lazarus kept the floating window design because it's nice to be able to see your desktop, the wallpaper is more pleasant than whatever solid color background is on the MDI client, and you can access tools and things by just clicking through to your desktop icons. Lazarus is like the best version of Delphi frozen in time.
  - fiddlerwoaroof 9y ago
    This isn't true, Delphi 4 definitely had the multiple windows setup
    - dguaraglia 9y ago
      But you could disable it. The multi-window thing was something Delphi lifted directly from Visual Basic, and even VB dropped it (well, more like it got swallowed by VB.NET and Visual Studio.)
      - squarefoot 9y ago
        With monitors getting bigger we can abandon the multi window way and embrace something better, but surely not MDI which to me is even worse. Tiling is the answer: a giant single window containing the entire application, and a layout definition stating what section appears where and at what size (read: area percentage). Options to maximize the active area can be implemented, but the goal should be freeing the user from being forced to find and move windows from below other windows or partially gone out of the screen.
        gfody 9y ago
        I think Visual Studio has the right idea with being primarily MDI but then all of the various windows can detach and float to other screens and wherever. I think if Windows would just render your desktop background on the MDI background instead of a solid color that would be a nice system setting.
    - gfody 9y ago
      I think maybe Delphi 5 was the first version where it stopped even being an option. I remember 3 was MDI and I'm surprised I never bothered looking for the option to switch it back.
  - yardshop 9y ago
    The floating windows were still very much present in Delphi 7, my preferred arrangement [0]. D7 was the last "good" version before the .NET era. Actually I remember the buzz around Lazarus and Free Pascal really growing when the .NET versions of Delphi came out. So I think its fair to say Lazarus took plenty of influence from versions later than D2. [0] http://i.imgur.com/gHQR6aH.png http://i.imgur.com/gHQR6aH.png
- SXX 9y ago
  I do have two monitors and understand multi-window mode has it's uses, but for any person who used to [name standard IDE] it's frustrating first impression. It's basically gives false sense of complexity to the tech that actually easy to use.