Embarcadero Prism XE2 FAQ
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General Questions
What is Embarcadero Prism XE2?Embarcadero Prism™ XE2 provides a flexible development solution and robust, Delphi-like programming language for rapidly developing .NET, Mono, ASP.NET, and data-driven applications for Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X. Embarcadero Prism combines easy-to-learn syntax based on the Pascal language with features not available in other .NET programming languages, enabling developers to create cutting-edge applications.
What makes Embarcadero Prism unique?
What's new in Embarcadero Prism XE2?==
Is there any functionality from previous releases that is not==available in XE2? We evaluate the feature set of the product for each new release. This release of Prism no longer includes support for the 2008 version of the Visual Studio IDE. Prism XE2 also does not include or support the MonoDevelop IDE that was available in earlier versions. If you have the previous release, Delphi Prism XE, you can continue to use the MonoDevelop IDE with the Oxygene compiler that was included in that version. Delphi Prism could previously be used with the MonoDevelop IDE and MonoTouch from Novell to develop iOS applications. That functionality is also no longer supported. We recommend Delphi XE2, now with the new FireMonkey application platform, for building native iOS applications.
Which editions are available and what are the differences between editions?EmbarcaderoPrismXE2ProfessionalEmbarcadero Prism XE2 Professional is designed for developers who want to go beyond the capabilities of other .NET development solutions with expanded language capabilities and cross-platform targeting. Delphi developers can use Embarcadero Prism XE2 to build .NET and cross-platform Mono applications using a familiar Pascal-based programming language. Embarcadero Prism Professional features include:
EmbarcaderoPrismXE2 EnterpriseEmbarcadero Prism™ XE2 Enterprise is designed for developers building data-driven and multi-tier Web and database applications. Embarcadero Prism Enterprise provides local and remote ADO.NET database connectivity and the ability to build clients that connect to native Delphi or C++ DataSnap servers for rich multi-tier interoperability. Embarcadero Prism Enterprise includes everything in the Professional edition, plus the following for building client/server and multi-tier database and web applications:
See the Feature Matrix on the Embarcadero Prism XE page of embarcadero.com for additional details on features by edition.
How can I purchase Embarcadero Prism?You can purchase Embarcadero Prism from one of our valuable partners or our online Embarcadero Shop site. Embarcadero Prism is available standalone or as part of Embarcadero All-Access XE. Prism XE2 is also available as part of Embarcadero RAD Studio XE2.
Is an Embarcadero Prism trial available?Yes. An Embarcadero Prism XE2 trial edition is available at http://downloads.embarcadero.com/free/delphi_prism. The Embarcadero RAD Studio XE2 trial also includes a Prism XE2 trial edition.
Is upgrade pricing available?Embarcadero Prism XE2 is sold under a subscription model so upgrade pricing is not available. Once you purchase Prism, you should renew your Support and Maintenance yearly to continue to receive upgrades. If you don’t renew, you will have to purchase the next version of Prism at the new user price. If you are a registered users of any paid Delphi, C++Builder, or RAD Studio (version 2009 or later), you qualify for upgrade pricing on RAD Studio XE2 which includes Prism XE2. Academic products don't qualify for upgrade pricing.
How do I get updates and upgrades?Embarcadero Prism XE2 standalone products include a year of support and maintenance. Prism and RAD Studio users can download the latest software updates from the Prism registered users web page athttp://cc.embarcadero.com/reg/delphi_prism. More major new feature upgrades are available only to users with current Maintenance agreements. Notifications for those upgrades are delivered via email and the upgrades can be downloaded via the Maintenance Portal web site by following the instructions in the email.
Do RAD Studio users also get a year of Prism upgrades and support automatically?No. If you purchase RAD Studio XE2, the first year of support and maintenance is not included in the price. We strongly recommend that you purchase Support and Maintenance for your RAD Studio product so you can get access to new Prism features as they become available, rather than having to wait and purchase an upgrade to the next major release of RAD Studio.
Are localized versions available?Embarcadero Prism XE2 is available in English, French, German and Japanese. At install time you can choose the language that you would like to install. The product documentation is available in English only.
Which types of licenses are available?Embarcadero Prism XE2 is available with multiple licensing options including:
Embarcadero Prism XE2 is available to academic users at a discount as part of the RAD Studio XE2 Academic products.
Are earlier version licenses included with Embarcadero Prism XE2?Yes. With Embarcadero Prism XE2, you also get access to a license and download for earlier version Delphi Prism XE. If you purchase individual named user licenses, go to http://www.embarcadero.com/xe2-earlier-versions after you register your XE product serial number. You can enter your registered XE serial number and get serial numbers and downloads for the older version. The license will be tied to your user account and cannot be given away or sold. If your XE2 license is an upgrade, you will not receive duplicate licenses for the older version(s) you upgrade from. You must request your older version license within 180 days of your purchase of the XE2 product. If you purchase Network Named AppWave or Concurrent AppWave licenses, the older version license will be included as part of your network license. Each network license count is a suite license that can be used to run one of the included versions at a time.
Is a Command Line Edition download available for Embarcadero Prism XE2 so I can install the command line compiler on my ASP.NET server?Previously there was a separate Command Line Edition download available. Starting with Embarcadero Prism XE2, you can install the command line compiler by using the Prism XE2 installer or trial installer and unchecking all of the options in the “Select Components” dialog except RemObjects Oxygene Command Line Compiler.
Where can I find documentation on Embarcadero Prism XE2?The most up-to-date documentation is available in the online Documentation Wiki at http://wiki.oxygenelanguage.com.
What’s the best way for a new user to get started with Embarcadero Prism XE2?The Prism Primer at http://wiki.oxygenelanguage.com/en/The_Prism_Primer/en/The_Prism_Primer provides a great step-by-step introduction to Prism.
Why did the name of the product change from Delphi Prism to Embarcadero Prism?Though there are many similarities between the Object Pascal based Delphi language and Prism’s Oxygene language, there are differences and we wanted to avoid any confusion between the two so you will now see the product name as Embaracdero Prism and the language name Oxygene.
Does Prism include RemObjects Cooper?No. Cooper is a sister product to Prism that offers the same Oxygene programming language but targets Java. Cooper is available from RemObjects Software at http://www.remobjects.com/.
How is InterBase licensed in Embarcadero Prism XE2?InterBase XE Developer Edition is InterBase XE Server licensed for up to 20 users and 80 logical connections. You can install InterBase Developer Edition on a server for testing purposes using the serial number included in the Prism readme file or you can download and request a serial number from the InterBase download page athttps://downloads.embarcadero.com/free/interbase. When you’re ready to deploy applications using InterBase, Embarcadero offers a variety of editions (Desktop, Server and To-Go) and a variety of licensing options (flexible server licensing, multi-packs and OEM licensing). Contact Embarcadero Sales or partners for more information. See the license terms in the RAD Studio license.rtf file for additional licensing details.
What is Embarcadero All-Access XE?If you want to go beyond .NET application development with additional tools for native Windows, Java, PHP and Ruby on Rails coding; plus a complete set of database tools, Embarcadero All-Access XE is the solution for you. Embarcadero All-Access XE provides all the application development and database tools you need-when you need them-across all major platforms, frameworks, and programming languages. It's the single, cost-effective toolbox solution for developers, architects, performance testers, and DBAs. All-Access XE provides you with industry-leading database tools, including DBArtisan® XE, Rapid SQL® XE, ER/Studio®, and many more. It also provides powerful application development tools, including Delphi® XE, JBuilder®, C++Builder® XE, Embarcadero Prism XE, RadPHP the InterBase database, and more.
What is the support status for different versions of Prism?
Technical Questions
Which version of the .NET Framework do I have to have installed to run Prism XE2?
Do assemblies produced with Prism require a specific version of the .NET Framework?No -- Prism can be targeted to link against any version of the .NET Framework from version 1.1 to 4.0. The developer can choose which version to link against. Do I have to buy Visual Studio from Microsoft in order to use PrismNo. Prism contains a full copy of the Visual Studio Shell. If your machine doesn’t have a copy of either the Shell or a Visual Studio Professional edition or above already installed, Prism will install the Visual Studio Shell 2010 for you before installing the Prism Oxygene language plug-in and features.
What will happen if I install Prism and I already have a copy of Visual Studio installed on my computer?If you already have a copy of Visual Studio 2010 Professional or higher installed, Prism will integrate directly into your existing Visual Studio install automatically.
When I run Prism, I see "Microsoft Visual Studio" in the title bar. Why is that?Prism runs inside the Visual Studio Shell. This is basically the Visual Studio IDE without any language plug-ins from Microsoft. Thus, you see the Microsoft branding. But rest assured that you can see Prism as soon as you select the File|New... menu.
Can I add C# or VB.NET functionality to Prism with the Visual Studio Express products from Microsoft?No. Because of the way that the Microsoft Express products are installed, they will not integrate directly into installation of Visual Studio Shell. However, Prism and the Visual Studio Express products can reside on the same machine together and can be run side-by-side. However, if you have Prism installed, and then install Visual Studio 2010 Professional edition or higher, you will get the Visual Studio functionality in the same IDE as Prism.
What platforms will my Embarcadero Prism XE2 applications run on?Prism applications will run almost anywhere the Common Language Runtime (CLR) exists. Prism applications will take full advantage of the .NET 3.5 or .NET 4.0 Frameworks on Windows. Prism applications will also work on Mono for Linux. In addition, Prism applications will execute on Mono for the Mac.
Does Embarcadero Prism include support for VCL.NET?No. Development for VCL.NET has been deprecated and will not be supported in Prism. Developers using VCL.NET can either use Delphi 2007 to continue those products or can migrate their VCL.NET applications to VCL for Win32.
Will my existing Delphi for Win32 code compile in Embarcadero Prism?Probably not without some changes. While the languages used by Delphi for Win32 and Prism are very similar, they are not entirely compatible. Each language has features and idioms designed specifically for the platforms that they are meant to run on. However, the languages are close enough that code written for one can usually be used on the other with minor changes.
Is there any way to make Prism’s Oxygene language more compatible with my Win32 Delphi code?Yes – Prism includes a “compatibility” switch which enables certain language features that will be more familiar to Delphi for Win32 developers. This option can be set on a per-project basis as part of the project options tab.
Can I build applications for the Compact Framework using Embarcadero Prism?Prism will compile against the CF assemblies. However, there is no design-time support as the Compact Framework designers are closely integrated with the C# and VB.NET personalities of Visual Studio and not available for use by other language plug-ins.
Who wrote the compiler used in Embarcadero Prism?
What is the relationship between RemObjects and Embarcadero?RemObjects Software and Embarcadero are close partners. Embarcadero licenses technology from RemObjects Software that is included in Prism. Both companies are committed to working together towards advancing the product as it continues to thrive and evolve.
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