News

Embarcadero Launches C++ Multi-Device Dev Platform

• By John K. Waters
• December 10, 2012

Embarcadero Technologies today unveiled a new development platform designed to allow C++ developers to target multiple devices, including desktops, laptops and tablets. C++Builder XE3 implements a new native compiler architecture that supports development on both Windows 8 and Mac OS X PCs, and the company plans to add support for Android ARM mobile devices in 2013.

The new platform makes it possible for developers to deliver applications natively to diverse devices via a common code base. With this release, the company is responding to the expanding diversification of client devices, which Embarcadero SVP of marketing Michael Swindell describes as "a seismic event with tremendous implications for software developers."

"The question for developers today is how to deliver applications across multiple devices including Windows, Mac, iOS and Android without compromising performance and user experience or radically increasing development time and cost," Swindell said in a statement. "This is the problem and opportunity driving our reinvention of the C++ platform. With C++Builder XE3, developers can build once and deploy natively across multiple platforms. As we add additional platforms to the solution, the benefit to the developer will continue to increase."

C++ doesn't grab the headlines generated by Java or the latest dynamic scripter, but it's one of the leading development languages for commercial client and server software. The list of applications and system written in C++ includes Mac OS X, iOS, Oracle database, Microsoft's Word and SQL Server, MySQL, Adobe Photoshop, and the Chrome and Firefox browsers. C++Builder is a rapid application development (RAD) environment that was originally developed by Borland. It was initially a Windows dev platform.

C++ Builder XE3 comes with a new 64-bit compiler architecture designed to provide "some of the best C++11 language standards and library compliance in the industry," the company says. The compiler architecture "generates applications that can utilize more memory and data, and directly access 64-bit APIs, device drivers and system services, enabling developers to create higher performance, more capable and more powerful applications," the company says.

This release also includes an updated visual component library (VCL) for existing C++Builder customers that enables rapid 64-bit updates for millions of existing Windows applications.

The company is underscoring the new platform's support for Windows-8-style user interface development for desktop applications, and its ability to support development of Mac apps that exploit the Retina Display.

The new dev platform is available now. More information is available here.