Question:

“Is Linux development supported within the Embarcadero Delphi 11.1 environment?”

Answer:

The question of whether Embarcadero Delphi 11.1 supports Linux development is a pertinent one for developers looking to leverage Delphi’s capabilities for the Linux platform. The answer is affirmative; Delphi 11.1 does indeed support Linux development, albeit with some specific considerations and limitations.

Delphi 11.1 allows developers to create 64-bit Linux applications using the RAD Studio installed on a Windows machine. This cross-platform capability is similar to developing Android applications in RAD Studio, where the development process is carried out on a Windows PC, and the resulting application is deployed to a Linux machine.

However, it’s important to note that for Linux, developers cannot create visual VCL (Visual Component Library) and FireMonkey applications. The support is primarily for console applications, EMS (Enterprise Mobility Services) Packages, DataSnap, WebBroker, and dynamic-link libraries. This means that while you can develop server-side and non-GUI client applications, the full range of visual development capabilities available for other platforms is not currently supported for Linux in Delphi 11.1.

To develop Linux applications with Delphi 11.1, developers need to prepare their development environment by installing RAD Studio on their Windows PC, preparing the Linux machine, creating a connection profile, adding the installed SDK to RAD Studio, and running PAServer on the Linux machine.

In conclusion, Embarcadero Delphi 11.1 does support Linux development, providing developers with the tools to create server-side and non-GUI client applications for Linux. While the support does not extend to visual applications, the existing capabilities are robust enough to make Delphi 11.1 a valuable tool for developers targeting the Linux platform. For those looking to develop GUI applications, the FireMonkey framework for Linux (FMXLinux) offers a solution, extending Delphi’s support from server applications to FMX client applications for popular Linux distributions.

For detailed steps on preparing your development environment and more information on the specifics of Linux development with Delphi 11.1, the official Embarcadero documentation is an excellent resource..