C++Builder XE2 or Visual Studio 11, from a VB application

Question

Here where i work, we develop ERPs using Visual Basic 6 (Source Safe), MySQL and Crystal Reports 8.5, but the result isn't good as we expected.

We are planning to migrate from those tools, to C++Builder XE2 and Oracle, with github. What reports application can we use? Anything better than Crystal Reports? C++Builder supports Oracle well?

With Visual Studio (C++ and Oracle), will i get better results?

Thanks

Answer 1

Both compilers and IDE's have different strength's and weaknesses. Try look at the answers in this post as well: C++ Builder or Visual Studio

I like a lot of things in C++ Builder (and for that matter Delphi, don't rule that one out if you consider C++ Builder). Basically if you need to do som GUI development and you insist on producing native windows applications, C++ Builder and Delphi has huge advantages. The VCL framework is really great, and closely tied with the IDE (which is ironically also its greatest weakness). There are obviously frameworks that provide some of the same functionality as C++ Builder, but I have yet to see one that works so well with the IDE.

The problem with this however, is that you really choose a platform, that is difficult to migrate away from. Not only does the VCL framework add some Embarcardero only language constructs (which are by the way often really nice ones if you are into that stuff). But the VCL framework is also proprietary, and an Embarcardero only product.

I have the last couple of years had some worries about the future of C++ Builder, it has started lacking behind the competitors in the interface, coding tools, and definitely the compiler which is far from the competitors.

Delphi however is a product that seems to receive much more attention from the developers, it has received a 64 bit compiler, (C++ Builder still lacks sigh). Delphi also produces native applications, works with Firemonkey so you can produce MacOS applications, and is less likey to be discontinued any time shortly (my personal guess). Besides there is a possibility to switch to the free Lazarus/Free Pascal IDE, although I have not stayed up to date on that for a while.

Basically what it boils down to is, what your requirements are. What do you need of the programming tools, for RAD development, given you need native code produced (you seem settled on C++), I would probably go for Delphi/C++ Builder. Yet I think you should try it first, and preferably give Qt/wxWidgets a shot as well to see if you can settle with that (Qt can prove to be expensive though), and perhaps get a solution that will be officially supported for a longer time.

If you find that your requirements are not as much based on the rapid aspects of the development, and you are searching for something that will give you as a coder a better toolbox for coding, and expect more of your compiler, I would not go for the Embarcardero products.

As for the database integration I cannot say much about Oracle for either of the two, but generally I find that C++ Builder/Delphi handles database connectivity and development using data aware controls, extremely well. It is really one of the key strengths of an RAD tool.

So try the two in some thought scenario as also jszpilewski mentions.

Answer 2

You may download the 30-days trial edition of C++Builder and check it yourself. It offers easy access to the Oracle Database (in Enterprise or Architect editions) and bundles with Nevrona Rave Reports. Hence it all should offer a similar workflow to VB6 in an environment that knows more about Vista and 7. One interesting advantage over Visual Studio would be cross-compilation for Mac if you can use the new Firemonkey framework instead of VCL.