Not Generic At All

Though I don't plan to touch on every single new or different factor of Chrome, I'd be remiss if I didn't at least mention generics.

Generics are part of Net 2.0 and a long-standing feature of C++ that allows you to create code that operates on anything. Ever since Smalltalk-80, statically typed languages have had to wrestle with a certain inferiority complex. It's difficult to beat the collection classes of a dynamically typed language, which can be used with any object in the system, and static languages (like Object Pascal) that have tried to match libraries end up clunking along with typecasts.

Support for generics is, of course, critical to .NET's evolution and RemObjects may beat Borland to the punch by releasing Chrome 1.5 with support before the next version of Delphi rolls out. But I'd be more concerned about the two implementations of generics being similar. Chrome's strength should be keeping things clean and legacy free, not different-for-the-sake-of-being-different.

Chrome's implementation seems clean and straightforward enough, but it's going to take considerable time living with them before we know how good.

Summing The Parts

Ultimately, all these parts make some sort of whole, and here is where the picture gets a little fuzzier. There's no question that if you want to use a modern version of Pascal for .NET programming without having to use Delphi, Chrome will be a welcome tool at a reasonable price. In fact, the word that springs to mind when using Chrome is alternative.

For VS users, it's an alternative to C#, C++, and Basic, resting in the niche in which Pascal has always rested. (Not as loose as Basic, and not as arcane as C++.) For Delphi programmers, it's an alternative that supports Mono. (You can make Delphi programs work in Mono, but you could die of old age waiting for Borland to actually support it.) But what if you're not interested in Mono like Chrome supports, but also not needing the legacy Windows support Delphi has?

I'm about to start my 20^th year of working with Borland environments, and despite having used Visual Studio as well (though not as much) for nearly ten years, I'm still far more comfortable with Delphi. I like most of the changes made to the language, but I'd hate to see Pascal get “caught up” just by adding more and more keywords. Finally, for me, there aren't any make-or-break elements of Chrome, at least not yet. So, while I'm not ready to hand in my Delphi, I'll definitely be watching Chrome.

Another thing that occurs to me as I look at the kind of languages most post-OO 3GLs have become, is that they're responding to new concepts by becoming increasingly complex. C++ still holds the crown there, but it often seems that other languages are trying to achieve it's popularity by mimicking its complexity. The challenge for RemObjects will be to keep Pascal current while keeping the language clear and manageable.