Lazarus is a free and open-source Integrated Development Environment (IDE) specifically tailored for Rapid Application Development (RAD). It is designed to be Delphi-compatible, offering a seamless transition for developers familiar with Delphi. Lazarus supports cross-platform development, enabling the creation of applications that can run on various operating systems. With a visual form designer and an array of components, Lazarus simplifies the process of building complex graphical user interfaces.
Features of Lazarus Key:
- Cross-Platform Development: Lazarus enables developers to create applications that seamlessly run on Windows, macOS, Linux, and other platforms, including Raspberry Pi.
- Delphi Compatibility: Lazarus is designed to be compatible with Delphi, providing a familiar environment for developers acquainted with Delphi's Object Pascal language.
- Visual Form Designer: The IDE features a powerful drag-and-drop form designer, streamlining the creation of intricate graphical user interfaces.
- Rapid Application Development (RAD): Lazarus facilitates rapid development with an integrated environment, making it suitable for creating a diverse range of applications.
- Flexible Licensing: LGPL licensed libraries allow developers to create applications under any desired license, including commercial closed-source projects.
- GPL Licensed IDE: The Lazarus IDE itself is distributed under the GPL license, providing an open-source foundation for development.
- Ease of Use:
- An installer with all required files simplifies the setup process.
- The drag-and-drop form designer allows for the creation of powerful layouts.
- Automatic synchronization between GUI forms and code enhances development efficiency.
- A feature-rich code editor with syntax highlighting, code completion, and navigation tools.
- Extensibility:
- Lazarus is open source, allowing developers to add or modify existing code and components to meet specific requirements.
- The Lazarus package system facilitates the installation of third-party add-ons for additional components or IDE extensions.
- Cross-Platform Projects: Lazarus projects are inherently platform-independent, allowing easy migration by simply copying projects to another platform and recompiling.
- Native Binaries: Lazarus supports the creation of native binaries, enabling the distribution of applications without dependencies on external runtime environments.
- Performance:
- Lazarus is a powerful IDE capable of handling large projects efficiently.
- The Free Pascal compiler (FPC) used by Lazarus is continually developed to enhance performance.
- Modern Object-Oriented Language: Lazarus employs Free Pascal, a modern Object Pascal dialect, which is constantly evolving to incorporate features expected in contemporary programming languages.
- Easily Extendable: A vibrant community of developers maintains Lazarus Libraries and Packages, providing a wealth of add-ons and extensions for various purposes.
- Frameworks: Lazarus supports various frameworks that streamline development, saving time on specific codebases.
In summary, Lazarus offers a comprehensive and feature-rich environment for Delphi-compatible cross-platform development. Its combination of a user-friendly interface, extensive component library, and support for modern programming paradigms makes it a versatile choice for developers creating a wide range of applications.
Lazarus - Changelog.