2001/12/12 - Dr.Bob on DevX in C++ Zone
My first article in the C++ Zone of DevX is about generating C++ class template definitions (template header and implementation (skeleton) definitions) which are often hard to read, let alone to write. You can download and use HeadGen, my source-code generator to produce class template header implementation definitions in .hpp and .cpp files.
Usage examples are now available, and will be followed shortly by an article that shows how to turn HeadGen into an add-in Wizard for C++Builder.

2001/12/07 - Dr.Bob's Tip of the Hat #13
In this latest Tip of the Hat I show how to distinguish between design-time and runtime inside your C++Builder applications.

2001/11/27 - WROX Programming Books
WROX Press has kindly send us some more sample chapters from their books to publish in a special section of this website. Titles now include Beginning C# and Professional C# so check it out...

2001/11/26 - Dr.Bob's Tip of the Hat #12
In this Tip of the Hat we'll examine the "only one data module per application" message that can occur when debugging C++Builder 5 WebBroker DLLs.

2001/11/20 - Borland C++Builder MobileSet
Borland and Nokia announced (at the 6th International Nokia Mobile Internet Conference) that Borland would expand Borland JBuilder and Borland C++Builder MobileSet to support the new Nokia Series 60 platform, as well as a new Borland C++ development environment for the Nokia Symbian OS-based platform.
This means we can develop mobile applications using the forthcoming Borland C++Builder MobileSet, based on the next version of Borland C++Builder, or with JBuilder MobileSet.

2001/11/19 - Dr.Bob on DevX #7 - WebBroker Reporting
I have written my seventh article in the Delphi 10-Minute Solution column (as Delphi Pro) on DevX. This new 10-Minute Solution shows how to Produce HTML Reporting Output with WebBroker Components - a feature available in Delphi, C++Builder and Kylix.
You can now download the source code for this solution.

2001/11/16 - ITtoolbox C++
ITtoolbox C++ offers forums for technical discussion, source codes, an integrated directory and daily news geared towards C++ professionals and users of C++ products. The portal also provides content, community, job postings and more.

2001/11/12 - Customizing C++Builder
Jarrod Hollingworth, one of the main authors of the C++Builder 5 Developer's Guide, has written an insightful article about Customizing C++Builder.
In this article Jarrod introduces you to many of the customizable elements in C++Builder, several of which you may already be familiar with and hopefully some that you're not. He'll also show you the files and registry keys that store the configuration for these customizable elements. If you've ever wanted to back up your configuration or to share it with other developers then here's where you need to look!

2001/10/22 - Borland CEO talks about competing with Microsoft
In an interview with InfoWorld, Borland CEO Dale Fuller mentions the importance of Web Services, and also support for C# (although it's not exactly clear to me how he envisions that).

2001/09/21 - C++Builder 6 with SOAP
On Monday, at the opening keynote of the European Borland Conference in London, some interesting pre-announcements were made by Nigel Brown of Borland UK. Nigel Brown showed a time-line and mentioned the upcoming releases of Kylix 2 (Q4 2001) and JBuilder 6 (Q4 2001) and the Borland Enterprise Studio for Java version 3 (with JBuilder 6) and a new Borland Enterprise Studio for Windows (containing both Delphi and C++Builder), both for Q1 2002.
Nigel Brown called Delphi 6 the first development environment from Borland with SOAP and Web Services support, but made it clear that this [SOAP and Web Services] would be available in the next versions of JBuilder (6) and Kylix (2).
Also, when asked, Jason Vokes (from Borland UK) confirmed that the next release of C++Builder is also in the works, with SOAP and Web Services support, of course. There were no comments on C++Builder for Kylix (or Kylix for C++), however.

No press releases or further information had been made available, but the announcement itself came from a reliable source (Nigel Brown and Jason Vokes, Borland UK), and was made at a public conference.

2001/09/02 - CBuilderZine.com to close Sept. 7
Although the "alt"-text of the banner mentions Sept. 9, the official word is that CBuilderZine.com will close September 7, 2001.

2001/08/17 - Top Ten Traps in C# for C++ Programmers
There are a number of features in C# that are potential traps for the unwary C++ programmer. Learn about the ten most dangerous in this article by Jesse Liberty, author of the recently released Programming C#.

2001/08/03 - C++Builder 6 News
At the Borland Conference, a number of sneak previews were given of C++Builder 6 and C++Builder for Linux (the C++ edition of Kylix - although no official name has been given to that one; certainly not Cylix).

2001/07/21-25: BorCon2001 Conference Report
The Borland Developers Conference 2001 will be held from July 21-25 in Long Beach (CA). Like previous years, I'll present a "live" Conference Report on this website including details (and photos) of all major events, Borland and third-party announcements and session details.

2001/07/04 - Dr.Bob Examines #18: DrBobCGI 3.1
In this Dr.Bob Examines article I'll present the cross-platform edition of DrBobCGI (to produce web server applications with Delphi, C++Builder and Kylix without the need for the WebBroker Technology). C++Builder users can just add DrBobCGI.pas to a C++Builder project and recompile to generate the DrBobCGI.hpp header file.

2001/06/18 - Dr.Bob on DevX #4
I have written my fourth article in the new monthly column (10-Minute Solution) as Delphi Pro on DevX. This new 10-Minute Solution article shows how to create a multiline Button component in Delphi (which can also be used in C++Builder).

2001/06/05 - Open Letter on Internet Registration
In an open letter to the Borland Community, David Intersimone Vice President of Developer Relations, outlines the new Internet registration process for JBuilder 5 and Delphi 6 (and possibly future versions of C++Builder).

2001/05/08 - Delphi 6 Announced
Delphi 6 is announced. This will probably give us a good feeling which new features will be present in an upcoming new version of C++Builder.

2001/04/26 - IBM to buy Informix
With IBM planning to buy Informix, we'll have only five major DBMS vendors left: Oracle, IBM (DB2/Informix), Sybase, Microsoft (SQL Server) and Borland/InterBase.

2001/04/19 - Dr.Bob Examines... ADO and ClientDataSets
In this new Dr.Bob Examines column, I'll show how to convert ADO XML or ADTG (Advanced Data TableGram) file formats to the ClientDataSet binary or XML formats. Source code examples are given using C++Builder 5 Enterprise and Delphi 5 Enterprise.

2001/04/08 - Dr.Bob Examines .NET and C#
In this Dr.Bob Examines column I'll share my first experiences with Microsoft Visual Studio.NET Beta 1, and especially C# (writing a classic demo).

2001/03/20 - Dr.Bob Examines... #14: BDE Data to Linux
In this Dr.Bob Examines article I'll show you how you can move your BDE data (like dBASE and Paradox tables) from Windows to Linux (i.e. from Delphi/C++Builder to Kylix) by transforming data into XML.

2001/03/07 - Borland Kylix Available
According to the Borland press release: Kylix should be available as of today, March 7th, 2001. However, in the "pricing and availability" section of the press release it states that "Kylix Server Developer and Kylix Desktop Developer will be generally available before the end of the first quarter 2001." and "Kylix Open Edition will be available by mid-2001.", so we probably still need to wait a little while before we receive our copy, but stay tuned...

2001/02/20 - Dr.Bob's Tip-Of-The-Hat
Dr.Bob's Tip-Of-The-Hat is a new weekly column in which I present small tips & tricks for Delphi and C++Builder developers (sometimes related to Kylix as well). I've added two more items: one tip to create a right-aligned editbox, and another to create a shaded textlabel.

2001/02/18 - Dr.Bob's C# Visions
C# is one of the cornerstones of Microsoft's .NET, and the language itself contains many similarities to languages and environments like Delphi, Java and C++ (but without header files!). Since we believe that C# can play an important role in tomorrow's software engineering, we've started a special C# section on Dr.Bob's website, called Dr.Bob's C# Visions

2001/01/31 - Kylix Announced
The official announcement has just been made, and the Borland Kylix website is in place! For more news about Kylix, check out the Kylix-section of this website called Dr.Bob's Kylix Kicks.

2001/01/22 - Inprise no more: Borland is back!
Well, it's official: as of today Monday, January 22nd, the name Borland is back (including BORL as the Nasdaq ticker symbol instead of INPR).

2001/01/21 - Dr.Bob's Tip-Of-The-Hat
Dr.Bob's Tip-Of-The-Hat is a new weekly column in which I present small tips & tricks for Delphi and C++Builder developers (sometimes related to Kylix as well). In response to feedback on my previous ENTER as TAB tip, I've now added a new item that shows how you can perform this trick inside a TDBGrid.

2001/01/19 - Headlines Direct
Headlines Direct by Backslash, is a Freeware application (written in C++Builder) that demonstrates how to incorporate live product news and marketing information within your own application, similar to the C++Builder/Delphi Direct application in C++Builder which displays a list of links to web pages about C++Builder news, downloads, web sites, and so on.

2001/01/12 - ADOExpress Update Pack #2
The ADOExpress Update Pack #2 for Delphi 5 and C++Builder 5 is freely available for immediate download from Borland Developer Support.

2001/01/04 - Review: TurboPower's OnGuard
Let's start the new year with a good new tradition: a monthly review (next to our monthly columns). This first time, I've taken a look at TurboPower's OnGuard, which is a serial number/unlock key generator/checker (this short description doesn't really do it justice I'm afraid) that can be used with Delphi and C++Builder.

2000/11/16 - Dr.Bob Examines.... Dynamic WebBroker Images
In my Dr.Bob Examines column, I'll explain how to use WebBroker to return dynamic images (like .gif and .jpg) from web server applications written in Delphi (or C++Builder).

2000/10/23 - Syntax-Highlighting Extensions Editor
John Kaster has written an article on the Borland Community about Delphi/C++Builder IDE Syntax-Highlighting Extensions Editor which provides a convenient interface for adding file extensions to the IDE editor's syntax highlighter.

2000/09/24 - Book Review: Exceptional C++
Exceptional C++: 47 Engineering Puzzles, Programming Problems, and Solutions, written by Herb Sutter, is now reviewed. This book is the second book in the C++ In-Depth Series edited by Bjarne Stroustrup.

2000/08/24 - C++Builder 5 Update Pack #1
C++Builder 5 Update Pack #1 has just been released for the Standard, Professional and Enterprise edition of Borland C++Builder version 5. A readme file and list of fixes are also available.

2000/08/21 - Free Turbo Debugger for Download
Inprise/Borland today announced a free download of Turbo Debugger on its website. The free Borland C++ Compiler and Turbo Debugger combination provides developers with a good foundation and seamless path to C++Builder 5 development.

2000/08/14 - C++Report merges into JOOP
The July/August 2000 issue of C++Report was the last issue as an individual magazine. C++Report is being merged into the Journal of Object Oriented Programming (JOOP). In order to incorporate more C++ coverage in JOOP, the frequency of JOOP has been expanded to 12 issues a year.

2000/08/01 - Anders Hejlsberg on C#
Read a recent interview with Anders Hejlsberg (indeed, the previous Chief Architect of Delphi who moved to Microsoft to work on Visual J++ - now abandoned that for Microsoft C#).

2000/07/19 - dbExpress Internals
At the Borland Conference in San Diego, we were introduced to dbExpress, the new cross-platform data access layer that will be available in Kylix and future versions of Delphi and C++Builder on Windows. Here you can find out what it is, and you can even provide Borland suggestions that could make it into its first release.

2000/07/17 - BorCon2000 News
There was little news on the C++Builder front (apart from the "Oh yes, and this will be in the next release of C++Builder as well, of course"). The only thing worth mentioning is the fact that a first C++Builder 5 Update Pack is in the works, and probably available within a few weeks...

2000/07/08-12: BorCon2000 Conference Report
The Borland Developers Conference 2000 was held from July 8-12 in San Diego (CA). Like previous years, we've presented a "live" Conference Report on this website including details (and photos) of all major events, Inprise/Borland and third-party announcements and session details.

2000/06/27 - BORLAND CLX
Today at PCExpo, Inprise/Borland introduced BORLAND CLX the Next-Generation Cross-Platform Library and Component Framework (to be used with Delphi and C++Builder, producing native Windows and Linux applications).

2000/06/27 - Microsoft Introduces C#
After the announcement of Microsoft.NET, the Microsoft MSDN online site now contains an introduction on C#.

2000/06/25 - Microsoft Announces Microsoft.NET
Microsoft has just announced Microsoft.Net - the Next Generation Windows Services (NGWS). This means that every new Microsoft product will work on the "internet platform" rather than (only) on the Windows platform. Microsoft will release a new language called C# (formerly codenamed COOL), especially suited for building Web applications. C# will be a Microsoft-proprietary Java-clone.
For more information and background information, see JD Hildebrand's column on the Borland Community.

2000/06/12 - C++Builder Developer's Journal
Reisdorph Publishing has begun to publish the contents of the 1997 and 1998 issues of C++Builder Developer's Journal on their website. Soon, they'll also add the ability to search through the articles (as a benefit of paid subscription to the C++Builder Developer's Journal.

2000/06/06 - First Ever Public Kylix Screenshots
You don't want to miss this: the first ever public screenshots of Kylix, brought to you first by Dr.Bob's Kylix Kicks.

2000/05/19 - #pragma hdrstop
A new article on the C++ community explains the use of the #pragma hdrstop in C++ source files.

2000/05/17 - Inprise/Borland - Corel merger terminated
Inprise/Borland and Corel have terminated the proposed merger agreement! Further updates and comments can be read on my Borland.comments.

2000/05/16 - Dr.Bob's Kylix Kicks
Today, we launch a new part of this website, which will be devoted to Kylix - the Linux edition of Delphi and C++Builder. The subsite, called Dr.Bob's Kylix Kicks at http://www.drbob42.com/kylix, contains a detailed report of the public Kylix demonstration given by Charlie Calvert at the CttM (May 1-2, 2000), so make sure to check it out...

2000/05/11 - C++Builder Bug List
Now you can view the (known) bug lists for Borland C++Builder 3, 4, and 5 online on Borland's website. This page also includes the bug fixes for BCB 4.

2000/04/25 - Sip From The Firehose
In his Sip From The Firehose column, DavidI asks himself (and us) "what are you doing with the Borland C++ Compiler version 5.5 download"?
As you probably know, several thousand developers have downloaded these free command line tools. Personally, I downloaded them to have the latest C++ compiler before C++Builder 5 was available (the compilers are the same one!). What was your reason?

2000/04/14 - BorCon2000
The Borland Developers Conference 2000 will be held from July 8-12 in San Diego (CA). I'll be doing two sessions: one on Delphi (Distributed) Efficiency (a topic that I've been doing since 1994) and one on Advanced WebBroker Techniques, a topic that I've written about in Delphi 4 Unleashed, C++Builder 4 Unleashed and currently for C++Builder 5 Developer's Guide.

2000/03/09 - BCB5 getline() istream.cc fix
There's a delimiter problem in the iostream library (with fix) regarding getline() in C++Builder 5 (as well as the free Borland C++ 5.5 command-line tools).

2000/03/04 - C++Builder 5 - VisiBroker 4
C++Builder 5 Enterprise comes with VisiBroker 4 for your CORBA work. Unfortunately, I found out (the hard way!) that VisiBroker 4 is not backwards compatible with VisiBroker 3.3 - it breaks your existing CORBA servers and clients (especially when written in Delphi 5, which relies on VisiBroker 3.3).
This may not be an issue for you, but I had to re-install VisiBroker 3.3 and VisiBroker for Delphi 5 again to get things back to work again...

2000/03/03 - Corel - On-Line Poll Results
Over 900 people have shared their thoughts by participating in Dr.Bob's first on-line poll (regarding the upcoming Corel - Inprise/Borland merger), and you can now view the results.

2000/02/25 - MIDAS 3 License Pricing
The best news in months: for MIDAS 3, Borland just slashed the suggested list price from US$ 5000 to US$ 299.95 for unlimited usage servers. This is not a typo: less than 300 US-dollars for an unlimited client license per machine (with up to four CPUs), running any number of MIDAS application servers!
C++Builder 5 Enterprise comes with a MIDAS 3 developer license, and MIDAS 3 deployment licenses are now available for an extremely competive market price. Thank you Borland!

2000/02/15 - Dr.Bob Examines... InternetExpress
Now that C++Builder 5 is also available, it's time to explore a new feature available in both Delphi 5 Enterprise and C++Builder 5 Enterprise, namely InternetExpress: the marriage of MIDAS with WebBroker (and XML).
In this article, which was first published in Visual Developer Magazine Jan/Feb 2000, I'll show you how to make use of InternetExpress and where XML is used at its best - as inter-application communication language.

2000/02/07 - Corel - Inprise/Borland Merger
Corel and Inprise/Borland today announced that they have entered into a definitive merger agreement. Upon completion of the merger, the combined organization, called Corel, will be a Linux powerhouse, offering a single source for end-to-end solutions featuring a range of productivity applications, development tools, and professional services for all major platforms.

2000/02/05 - A Sip From The Firehose: Obfuscated C Code Contest
In his Sip From The Firehose, DavidI pays attention to the 15th International Obfuscated C Code Contest, the purpose of which is to write the most obscure C program, show the importance of programming style, stress C compilers, point out some of the "more interesting parts" of the C language, and give some great examples of poor coding standards.

2000/01/26 - Announcing C++Builder 5
Inprise just announced the upcoming C++Builder 5: a major new version of its award-winning ANSI C++ rapid application development tool for building Windows and Internet applications. C++Builder 5 is scheduled to be available next month in three editions.

1999/10/12 - IntraBob v5.0
Now available: the Delphi 5 and InternetExpress XML edition of IntraBob v5.0; my latest (win)CGI tester and ISAPI debugger for Delphi 2.01 and higher and all versions of C++Builder. By using IntraBob as "host application", you can set breakpoints and trace into ISAPI DLLs. IntraBob also supports the WebBroker Technology - including PathInfo properties to discriminate between different OnActions events, and InternetExpress (using XML and JavaScript).

1999/09/29 - C/C++ and Delphi for Linux
Inprise announces commitment to support C, C++ and Delphi development on Linux. The Borland VCL for Linux will be designed to radically speed native Linux application development and simplify the porting of Delphi and C++Builder applications between Windows and Linux.

1999/06/30 - C++Builder 4 Unleashed
Finally available to order from amazon.com: C++Builder 4 Unleashed (from SAMS), written by Charlie Calvert, Kent Reisdorph and 3 chapters by Bob Swart (on Distributed Internet Applications using MIDAS, ActiveForms and the WebBroker Technology).
This revised and improved edition builds on the success of previous versions of C++Builder Unleashed by focusing on the more advanced features of C++Builder 4 to address the growing needs of this enterprise-level market. It increases coverage of the higher-end, enterprise level topics that are desired by users of the Inprise tools. Subjects which receive new and expanded coverage include: ActiveForms, MIDAS, CORBA, Delphi/Java/C++Builder integration, COM/DCOM, graphics, WebBroker components, automation and COM automation, advanced database programming and NT Services.

1999/06/08 - Inprise and Microsoft sign Strategic Alliance
Microsoft and Inprise today announced the completion of a set of strategic technology and licensing agreements that will be the foundation for a long-term alliance between the two companies. The announcement includes a $25 million purchase by Microsoft of shares of Inprise preferred stock.
Check out Dr.Bob's Borland.comments for more about this deal and its implications...

1999/05/06 - C++Builder 4 Easter Eggs
Apart from the usual Easter Eggs in the About Box of C++Builder 4 (Alt+TEAM, Alt+DEVELOPER, Alt+QUALITY), there's also a special Easter Eggs that you just have to see (and hear!) to believe; Alt+GUNGLA.

1999/04/21 - C++Builder 4 Actions and ActionLists
A new and handy feature of C++Builder 4 is the TActionList component, found in the "Standard" tab of the component palette. With an ActionList, we can group and manage "actions" (event handling code) between different components and even re-use them among different applications!
This article shows how to use Actions and ActionLists - without writing a single line of C++ code - and contains some nice gotchas too...

1999/05/18 - C++Builder Developer's Journal
Reisdorph Publishing, indeed Kent Reisdorph himself, has taken over publication of C++Builder Developer's Journal. This means we now have a C++Builder journal for and by real C++Builder developers!

1999/03/14 - C++Builder VERs As you probably know, C++Builder can also compile ObjectPascal source code, using a built-in Delphi compiler. If you happen to write ObjectPascal source code that has to distinguish between the different versions of the ObjectPascal compilers for Delphi and C++Builder, then the following table with VERxxx defines might be helpful: Based on this table, we can expect Delphi 5 to have VER130 defined, although bets are open as to what C++Builder 5 will have defined (VER133? VER135? VER140?)

Compiler   VERxxx   Delphi 2   VER90   C++Builder  VER93   Delphi 3   VER100   C++Builder 3   VER110   Delphi 4   VER120   C++Builder 4   VER125

1999/02/26 - NT Services for C++Builder 4 Pro
NT Service Wizards for C++Builder 4 Professional were not completed in time for inclusion on the release CD, but are available for download.

1999/02/21 - C++Builder 4-to-3 Form Conversion
If, for some reason, you made some Forms in C++Builder 4 and need to compile them with C++Builder 3: note then that there are numerous new VCL components in C++Builder 4 (compared to C++Builder 3). And that's not all: there are also new properties added to existing components.
I'm enhancing CONVERT3 to strip those C++Builder 4 properties from your C++Builder 4 forms (.DFM files), so you can recompile them using C++Builder 3 again. Currently, Convert3 converts Delphi 4 Forms back to Delphi 3, and is based on the CONVERT2 program to convert Delphi 3 forms back to Delphi 2.

1999/02/09 - C++Builder 4 Review
We take a closer look at the new Borland C++Builder 4 and report our latest findings in this updated C++Builder 4 review, and continue our exploration of NT Services using C++Builder 4 from borland.com.

1999/02/03 - C++Builder 4 News
Last friday, C++Builder 4 went to manufacturing. On monday, C++Builder 4 was officially anounced by Inprise ("INPRISE CORPORATION LAUNCHES BORLAND.COM WITH ANNOUNCEMENT OF BORLAND C++Builder 4").
Manufacturing C++Builder 4 takes about two-three weeks, after which the first boxes wil be ready to be shipped. If you want to have one of the first copies, contact your local Inprise/borland.com office or visit borland.com itself and order your copy of C++Bulder 4 now!

1999/02/01 - C++Builder 4
Inprise has just announced C++Builder 4 in two editions: C++Builder 4 Professional and C++Builder 4 Enterprise. According to Inprise Europe, the C++Builder 4 "boxes" should hopefully be ready to ship within two weeks. More news and an overview of the new features will follow shortly, so stay tuned to the C++Builder Machine...

1999/01/28 - C++Builder 4 News
There's a discussion about some of the (pre-announced) new features in C++Builder 4 in the Borland.public.Cppbuilder.non-technical newsgroup.
To quote Michael Swindell (C++ Product Manager), one of the new features in C++Builder 4 will be nested templates.
Also, a most interesting thing is the absense of C++Builder Standard (low-end) and C++Builder Client/Server (high-end) - and the price of Enterprise. Inprise combined C/S and Enterprise together into C++Builder Enterprise and combined Pro and Standard together into C++Builder Pro. A third "entry" edition will be available, but will be feature limited (not "IDE must be present" restricted like "learn to" was) and targeted at learning C++ and first time C++ developers. The name of this edition may end up being "Standard".

1999/01/27 - C++Builder 4 Sneak Peek
Here is an additional C++Builder 4 "sneak peek" from Inprise: "NT Service Wizards will be included in both Professional and Enterprise". And what's more, here's an official "how-to" article for NT Services with C++Builder 4.

1999/01/25 - C++Builder 4 Preview
Thanks to Inprise, we can now show you an exclusive C++Builder 4 preview - including the first screenshots (with descriptions).

1998/11/10 - C++ Solutions
Of course, as a real C++ Programmer, you've read Bjarne Stroustrup's The C++ Programming Language (third edition), like we did. Because C++ is a rather complex language, Bjarne provided numerous excercises in his book - but without answers (or discussions). Now, David Vandevoorde has written the official "Companion to The C++ Programming Language", entitled C++ Solutions. This book has the same chapter layout as Bjarne's original C++ book, and contains insights, discussions and answers to these excercises.
This book is recommended to any serious C++ programmer, especially if you need the answers to Bjarne's excercises or just want to read more discussions or material on the latest ISO/ANSI draft.

1998/10/23 - Design Patterns
The meaning of the concept Design Patterns is that software engineers as a community should strive to identify and describe architectural solutions to specific problems in the form of a pattern. In fact, being a knowledge engineer myself engaged in implementing knowledge driven systems, I would dub this as 'knowledge management', and would like to say 'knowledge discovery' when speaking of the process of identifying patterns in applications reviewed to extract such patterns.
The Book Of The Week is all about Design Patterns, with the first work that spurred interest in this topic.

1998/09/06 - Which BPLs Required?
Are you using a C++Builder BPL package, and you want to know which packages are required by this one but you don't have the source code to check?
Don't worry, Dr.Bob comes to the rescue with version 2.0 of REQUIRED that lists all required (design-time and run-time) packages for you. Also works for Delphi BPL and DPL packages, of course.

1998/02/25 - C++Builder 3 Reviews
Borland C++Builder version 3.0 has been launched last week. Arjan Jansen, who was present at the product launch in Amsterdam, wrote a new report about his expectations and experiences with this latest release of C++Builder.

1997/08/01 - Borland C++Builder news
At the Borland Conference in Nashville, I had a press interview with Diane Rogers and Lance Devin, and was told that "The next version of Borland C++ will be called... Borland C++Builder".
Diane actually had to say it twice to make sure we heard it right. This means no Borland C++ 6.0, but all features of Borland C++ will migrate into the next version of C++Builder, resulting in one big Borland C++Builder (they don't know the version number yet: could be 2, could be 6, could be 3 (to get in line with Delphi)).
Borland C++Builder X will have all features of Delphi 3, but also Borland C++ features such as multi targets (although we can use the Component Library for Win32 targets only - and when I asked about the possibilities for writing my own 16-bits or even DOS component palette, they looked interested, but said it wouldn't be in the package). New features will include a real Project Manager, a .RC to .DFM converter (like the Resource Expert in the 16-bits Delphi RAD Pack), an IDE to MAK converter, etc. All still scheduled to ship Q1 1998 - unfortunately another 6 months from now...

1997/05/25 - Components as .OBJs
Some component vendors supply demo versions of C++Builder components in .OBJ file format only. This is usually no problem for demos (you can buy the source code), but with C++Builder there's something more to installing OBJ components that meets the eye:
When we try to install these .OBJ files into the Component Library, chances are that we get several Linker Errors about .OBJ files that could not be found (but are present nevertheless). The problem is caused by the Incremental Linker, which is using hard-coded path information.
The fix is easy, but must be performed manually by each C++Builder user: select "Options | Environment...", go to the "Library" tab, and unselect the "Use Incremental Linker" option (TLINK32 will be used instead). Now, we're ready to install OBJ files without errors. This will result in 29+ linker warnings, but at least these can be ignored.

1997/02/04 - Oracle licenses Borland C++Builder & JBuilder
Borland and Oracle announced that Oracle will license Borland's Java and C++ development technologies for use with Oracle database systems and application development tools.
Under the terms of the license agreement, Oracle will integrate and distribute Borland's C++Builder and JBuilder with a number of Oracle's existing and future products, including Developer/2000, Designer/2000 and Sedona.

1996/11/18 - Borland C++Builder announced at COMDEX
Announced today at Comdex and unveiled on Borland's web site, Borland C++Builder the only Rapid Application Development tool for C++, that combines real visual development with real C++.
Borland C++Builder (aka Ebony) is built on the award-winning Borland C++ compiler technology, and shares with Delphi the proven Visual Component Library, intuitive IDE, and visual Two-Way Tools.

1996/11/17 - Ebony public secrets and facts
We've all seen the puzzle screenshot of Ebony by now, and we all wonder what Ebony actually is. Until the official word at COMDEX, I'll try to find out and share some public secret facts of Ebony with you, starting today:

Ebony is a RAD tool for C++ based on Delphi 2.01
This means that we now have a RAD environment that looks exactly like Delphi 2.01 but can be used to write C++ applications. This doesn't mean that Ebony will replace Borland C++, and I'm sure there will always be a place for Borland C++ programmer who don't want to use the RAD tool Ebony, but prefer the power and control of C++ with Borland C++ itself.
Note that "based on Delphi 2.01" implies that Ebony should also include the NetManage internet ActiveX components. In fact, all VCL components on the component palette of Ebony (as shown to me by DavidI) appear to be the original Delphi 2.01 ObjectPascal VCL components. And they are still written in ObjectPascal! This leads to the conclusion that Ebony is able to compile ObjectPascal as well as C++ code...
Of course, we cannot really mix ObjectPascal (.pas) and C++ (.cpp/.hpp) code, but the .DFM files with the form resource definitions and property values are binary compatible, which means we can add any existing Delphi (ObjectPascal) Form to our Ebony (C++) project. However, since Delphi Forms are using ObjectPascal, we cannot write C++ code to extend it. In that case, we can use Form Inheritance to inherit a new C++ Form from the original Delphi Form (and then we can write C++ code for the event handlers). We can also derive C++ component classes from existing Delphi ObjectPascal VCL parent classes.
To compensate for the compilation speed difference between ObjectPascal and C++, Ebony is also said to include a new C++ incremental linker. The first compilation with Ebony will take some time (header files), but subsequent compilations will benefit from cached pre-compiler headers and the new incremental linker. Still not quite as fast as ObjectPascal will compile, but a lot faster than we're used to compared with a regular C++ environment!

1996/11/01 - Ebony and Ivory - work together in perfect harmony
At COMDEX Fall, Borland will show a version of Borland C++ with the codename Ebony (which is quite funny, considering that the internal codename of Delphi97 is rumored to be Ivory).
With Borland C++ and Delphi sharing the same optimizing compiler back-end, it seemed only a matter of time before the IDEs themselves would match. Open questions include whether or not the compiler will be fast enough to provide true 2-way development with C++, and whether or not the VCL property-event-method model will be implemented for C++.