ADUG Autumn Symposium 2025 Preview
Now you know! Friday 9th May is the date for the next ADUG symposium.
Be present at the Melbourne venue or participate online, but make sure you join us for a great day.
A perfect opportunity to stretch your mind during presentations, hone those skills, catch up with old buddies, and make some new friends.
Get in early and save with our Early Bird offer to participate in person at The Bridge Hotel Mordialloc.
This page, and our forum, will be updated as more details are confirmed.
More Details …
Presentations
Brian Watson & Richard King
Transforming Software Testing at Desktop EDA: Leveraging Automation for Continuous Delivery in ECAD/MCAD Collaboration
Desktop EDA has been at the forefront of developing software tools in the realm of ECAD/MCAD collaboration for over two decades. Specializing in “Add-ins” that enable seamless data sharing between Electronics and Mechanical CAD tools, Desktop EDA has traditionally built its solutions using Delphi and COM, adhering to industry standards established in the 1990s. However, with the recent evolution of XML-based standards like IDX, Desktop EDA embarked on a pivotal project to support these new standards while addressing growing demands for incremental data synchronization between ECAD and MCAD systems.
This project, initiated through a three-year contract with a major electronics CAD tool provider, involved the creation of a sophisticated tool for importing and exporting CAD data, enabling incremental changes, and providing mechanisms for preview, acceptance, and rejection of updates across both ECAD and MCAD domains. The challenge was not only technical but also operational, particularly in the testing phase of the product’s development.
Initially, Desktop EDA relied on a combination of unit testing and a manually executed test plan to validate product functionality. However, as the first release neared completion, it became clear that this approach could not meet the demands for continuous improvement and frequent feature additions required by the contract. In this presentation, we will describe the testing challenges faced during the project, highlighting the shortcomings of the initial test plan approach.
At a critical juncture, Richard King was brought on board to assist with the project. Drawing from his experience in developing open-source automatic test systems, Richard recognized the limitations of the manual testing strategy and proposed an automated testing solution. The second part of the presentation will explore Richard’s approach in designing and implementing a custom automated testing system for Desktop EDA, transforming how testing was conducted and enabling a more flexible, scalable, and efficient workflow.
Through this case study, we will share the lessons learned in bridging legacy software practices with modern development methodologies and highlight the importance of automation in sustaining long-term software quality, particularly in complex, collaborative domains like ECAD/MCAD integration.
Marco Cantù
30 Years of Delphi
How Delphi evolved over the years while respecting its pillars: Easy and powerful language, native compilation, RAD and fast development, the power of OOP, database first, the best Windows platform integration. The session will touch on some of these areas over the years, focusing in particular at where Delphi is today.
Primož Gabrijelčič
Spring4D v2 Collections and Algorithmic Complexity
Understanding algorithm complexity can be tough when it’s mostly theoretical. But we can show its real impact on program performance.
Spring4D v2 collections, an improved version of Spring4D v1, are a great example to discuss complexity. This talk will explore how algorithms affect program speed more than code optimizations, especially with large data sets. We’ll also compare modern collection-building methods, like array-based storage, with older techniques.
Join us to learn about algorithm design and its big effects on software performance.
Marco Geuze
Pioneering Simplicity, the fascinating history of Pascal and Delphi
Ever wondered how Pascal and Delphi revolutionized programming? This talk takes you behind the scenes of two game-changing programming languages that made software development accessible and efficient. You’ll hear untold stories from the pioneers themselves – Anders Hejlsberg, Zack Urlocker, and others – about how they transformed Niklaus Wirth’s academic Pascal into Borland’s Turbo Pascal, creating the first true integrated development environment.
* Speakers and content are subject to change.
When and where
When:
- 8:45 – 17:30 on Friday 9th May 2025 AEST Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane
- 00:45 – 9:30 Friday 9th May, UTC+2, Italy
- 23:45 Thursday 8th – 8:30 Friday 9th May BST London
- 15:45 Thursday 8th – 0:30 Friday 9th May PDT San Francisco, Los Angeles
- 19:45 Thursday 8th – 4:30 Friday 9th May BRT Rio de Janeiro
Where:
- Online via Zoom (recordings available to registrants)
- The Bridge Hotel Mordialloc
Melbourne Venue Location and Transport Information
Related Events
Melbourne Bistro Dinner:
Extend your day in Melbourne at an informal dinner at the Bistro at the Bridge Mordialloc after the symposium from about 6pm after the prize draw finishes.
This is an ideal opportunity to chat with other Delphi users about things you know and things you don’t know. Or just use the opportunity to catch up with friends and ‘chew the fat’.
Choose your food and drinks, and pay as you go. This is a great way to end the day, so why not join in the fun this year?
Email your RSVP, or better still, jump onto the ADUG forum, and navigate to Meetings->Bistro Dinner after the 2025 Symposium and RSVP there.
Sydney Get Together:
For those Sydney siders who don’t want to do the pilgrimage to Melbourne, and would like a better experience than staring at a 27″ screen, the Sydney branch are doing a live stream of Symposium 2025 at either the Sydney HQ of OnSolution in Castle Hill, or at Lachlan’s place (To be determined).
This will be the golden opportunity to get together and roll jaffas down the aisle. We will duck over to the local cafe for lunch and out to the local pub for a drink afterwards.
- RSVP Shane to get notified of the final meeting details closer to the symposium.
RSVP Shane to let him know you are joining in
Registration Dates and Prices
Key Dates
| 13th April | Melbourne Early Bird Registration Ends |
| 4th May | Melbourne Registrations Close |
| 7th May | Online Registrations Close |
| 9th May | Symposium |
Prices
| Members | Melbourne Early Bird $70 |
| Melbourne Late Entry $90 | |
| Online $40 | |
| Non Members | Melbourne Early Bird $100 + (optional) 1 year ADUG membership free |
| Melbourne Late Entry $120 + (optional) 1 year ADUG membership free | |
| Online $70 + (optional) 1 year ADUG membership free |
Members Login and Register has passed
Non Members Register has passed
Prize Draw
Attendees must be ADUG members to be entered into the end-of-day prize draw of Delphi related software, books, mugs and other must have treats.
Sponsors
Principal Sponsor
Co-Sponsors
Schedule – AEST (Melbourne, Sydney, Canberra, Brisbane)
Presentations are a combination of pre-recorded, online and in person, depending on the home base of the presenter and the time zone of their base.
| 8:45am | Welcome |
| 9:00am | Presentation 1 – Brian Watson & Richard King Presenting Live in Melbourne |
| 10:30am | Morning Tea |
| 10:45am | Presentation 2 – Marco Cantù – 30 Years of Delphi Online presentation |
| 12:15 | A chat with a Guest |
| 12:30 | Lunch |
| 1:30pm | Presentation 3 – Marco Geuze – Pioneering Simplicity, the fascinating history of Pascal and Delphi Online presentation |
| 3:00 | A chat with another Guest |
| 3:15pm | Afternoon Tea |
| 3:30pm | Presentation 4 – Primož Gabrijelčič – Defensive programming for better future v1.5 Online presentation |
| 5:00pm | Prize draw |
Program may change as details are confirmed.
Member registration
Non-member registration
Symposium Prizes
ADUG wishes to acknowledge these friends of the ADUG for supporting us with donations of valuable products. The total value of the prizes is in excess of $A30,000.
The prize draw is the final event of the day, held immediately after the last presentation, and operates like so:
procedure ADUGPrizePicker;
begin
PopulateListOfAllPrizes;
while PrizesAvailable do
begin
if AttendeeListEmpty then PopulateListOfAllAttendees;
RandomlyPickAWinnerFromAttendees;
AskWinnerToSelectPrizeFromAvailablePrizes;
while WaitingForPrizeSelection do
begin
if WinnerTakingTooLong then StirWinner;
end;
if WinnerTookFarTooLong then AllocateRandomPrize;
NoteSelectedPrize;
RemoveSelectedPrizeFromAvailablePrizes;
RemoveWinnerFromAttendees;
end;
end; Draw rules:
- Only attendees who are an ADUG member and have registered and paid before the symposium date are eligible for the prize draw.
- The organizers will make their best efforts to conduct the prize
draw in an unbiased and fair manner, and inform all winners of their
prize, however no responsibility is taken. - Attendees are encouraged to remain for the duration of the prize draw to ensure their claim on any prizes.
- Attendees un-avoidably unable to remain for the prize draw (e.g. due to flight times) may arrange a proxy:
- Proxies voters must be arranged prior to the commencement of the prize draw.
- A proxy may either be the ADUG President, or another attendee.
- Proxies provided to the President must be in writing and consist of no more than three prize selections.
- Non-president proxies must be disclosed to the President before the prize draw.
- If none of the prizes nominated in the proxy are available a random prize will be selected.
Prizes notes:
- Pricing is approximate and has been adjusted for international exchange rates.
see relevant product website for more details - Prizes are provided at the discretion of the sponsor.
ADUG will not be liable for any discrepancies between the prize description here and the prize provided by the sponsor.
For the smooth flowing of the prize draw, it is strongly recommended that you have your prize selection ready before the prize
draw – dawdlers will be subject to being RPAB’ed (Random Prize Allocation Button)
Good luck!
| Donated by | Prize description | Quantity | Usual cost (per item, original currency) | Total prize value (approx. AUD) |