Borland Updates .Net, Java Tools

Borland, Scotts Valley, Calif., also will unveil a new model-driven runtime for the rapid development of .Net applications. The new runtime, Enterprise Core Objects (ECO), allows applications to be built and maintained directly from application blueprints, providing a way to sync up application models to development, Borland executives said.

ECO will be included in the architect edition of Borland Delphi 8 for the Microsoft .Net Framework, a new version of Delphi launched Monday. The runtime also will be included in a future version of the Borland C# Builder for the Microsoft .Net Framework, according to Borland.

Borland Delphi 8 allows Delphi developers to create new .Net Framework applications and migrate existing Win32 Delphi applications to .Net, company executives said.

Microsoft also is working on an advanced modeling tool, code-named Whitehorse, that will allow developers to integrate application models seamlessly into the .Net development environment through Visual Studio.Net (see story). Microsoft plans to ship Whitehorse in the Whidbey release of Visual Studio.Net, which is scheduled for the second half of next year.

Borland this week also will unwrap a new version of its enterprise Java IDE that provides tighter integration between modeling and development for developers using the J2EE environment.

The inclusion of Borland Together in Enterprise Studio 7 for Java, an update to Borland's Java IDE, provides UML support, database modeling and the ability to visually compare models to help developers map visual models of applications to code development right in the IDE, according to Borland.

Enterprise Studio 7 provides what Borland calls a unified development environment for application life-cycle management (ALM) through the integration of several Borland products that provide application design, testing, development and collaboration, according to the company. ALM is a term that describes software that handles all aspects of application development, from the planning stages of the application to its development, testing and ultimate deployment.

IBM's Rational Software division also is working to add advanced application modeling capabilities to its development tools, including an update unveiled Monday to integrate modeling with the development of portals on IBM WebSphere Portal.

While Rational provides both J2EE and .Net tools, observers noted that Rational has provided more enhancements to its J2EE toolset than to its .Net tools since the company was purchased by IBM earlier this year--a trend that is likely to continue.

Delphi 8 for the Microsoft .Net Framework will ship in December 2003 on Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Microsoft Windows XP Professional, Windows 2000 Professional and Windows 2000 Server.

The update will be available in three editions: Borland Delphi Architect Edition for model-driven application design and development; Borland AEDelphi Enterprise Edition for teams building enterprise-class databases applications with Microsoft ADO.Net; and Borland Delphi Professional Edition, ideal for individuals building Web and GUI applications for the Microsoft .Net Framework.

Borland Enterprise Studio 7 for Java is expected to begin shipping on Windows, Linux and Solaris platforms in December.