June 2013
Next Generation Delphi Language Enhancements – Lachlan Gemmell
When it comes to the Object Pascal language Delphi XE4 can be seen as something of a turning point. XE4 introduces a number of new language features some of which are quite significant additions. However XE4 actually includes 5 different compilers for 5 different platforms and not all these features are available across all of the compilers. Lachlan will explain these new language features, their usage and implications as well as detail which compilers they’re available for. Since some of the new features are actually breaking changes we’ll look at how you can write code today using pre-XE4 versions that will run on the new compilers tomorrow.
Some of the topics we’ll be covering
What is LLVM and why is it now important to Delphi
Garbage collection via automated reference counting
string type changes (zero indexed, immutable, deprecated types)
operator overloading for classes