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Microsoft Visual Studio VS Lazarus

Compare Microsoft Visual Studio VS Lazarus and see what are their differences

Microsoft Visual Studio logo Microsoft Visual Studio

Microsoft Visual Studio is an integrated development environment (IDE) from Microsoft.

Lazarus logo Lazarus

Lazarus is a cross-platform IDE for the Free Pascal compiler.
  • Microsoft Visual Studio Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-01-18
  • Lazarus Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-10-17

Microsoft Visual Studio features and specs

  • Comprehensive Development Environment
    Microsoft Visual Studio offers a robust and comprehensive integrated development environment (IDE) that supports multiple programming languages, including C#, VB.NET, F#, C++, and Python. This makes it versatile for a wide variety of development needs.
  • Rich Feature Set
    The platform provides an extensive set of built-in tools and features, such as code analysis, debugging, and version control. These tools improve productivity and help maintain code quality.
  • IntelliSense
    Visual Studio’s IntelliSense offers powerful code completion, highlighting, and suggestion features that enhance the coding experience and reduce the likelihood of errors.
  • Integration with Azure and Other Microsoft Services
    The IDE integrates seamlessly with Microsoft Azure and other Microsoft services, making it easier to develop, deploy, and manage applications in the cloud.
  • Large Community and Support
    As a popular IDE, Visual Studio has a large user base and an active community. This results in a wealth of resources, including tutorials, forums, and extensions.
  • Customizability
    Visual Studio allows extensive customization through extensions and plugins, enabling developers to tailor the IDE to meet their specific needs.

Possible disadvantages of Microsoft Visual Studio

  • Resource Intensive
    Visual Studio is known to be resource-heavy, requiring significant system memory and processing power. This can slow down development, especially on less powerful machines.
  • Complexity
    The abundance of features and tools in Visual Studio can make it overwhelming for beginners or those new to the IDE. Navigating through its numerous menus and options can be challenging initially.
  • Cost
    While Visual Studio Express is free, many advanced features and professional tools are only available in the paid versions (Professional and Enterprise). This can be a drawback for individual developers and small businesses with restricted budgets.
  • Frequent Updates
    Although frequent updates can bring new features and improvements, they can also introduce bugs and require ongoing time investment to manage transitions and adapt to changes.
  • Windows-Centric
    While Visual Studio now supports macOS, it is traditionally Windows-centric and may not provide the same level of performance or features on other operating systems compared to its Windows counterpart.
  • Learning Curve
    Due to its extensive feature set and capabilities, there is a steep learning curve associated with Visual Studio. It may take considerable time for new users to become proficient.

Lazarus features and specs

  • Cross-Platform Development
    Lazarus IDE supports development for multiple platforms including Windows, macOS, and Linux, allowing developers to create applications that are portable across different operating systems.
  • Open Source
    Lazarus is open-source software, which means it is free to use, distribute, and modify, providing flexibility and cost savings for developers.
  • Rich Component Library
    The environment includes the Free Pascal Component Library (FCL) and Lazarus Component Library (LCL), offering a wide range of pre-built components to speed up application development.
  • Compatibility with Delphi
    Lazarus aims to be compatible with Delphi, allowing developers familiar with Delphi IDE to transition more easily and utilize existing Delphi codebases.
  • Community Support
    Being open-source, Lazarus has a supportive community that provides extensive documentation, tutorials, and forums to assist developers.

Possible disadvantages of Lazarus

  • Steep Learning Curve
    New users, especially those with no background in Pascal programming, may find Lazarus challenging to learn and start using effectively.
  • Less Modern UI Components
    Compared to other modern IDEs, Lazarus may lack some of the cutting-edge UI components or design tools that newer environments offer.
  • Limited Third-Party Libraries
    The ecosystem for third-party libraries and components may not be as extensive as other platforms like .NET or Java, which could limit functionality for certain projects.
  • Smaller Developer Community
    While there is support available, the community is smaller compared to other IDEs, which might impact the speed of getting help or updates.
  • Potential Delphi Compatibility Issues
    Despite efforts to maintain compatibility, some differences between Delphi and Lazarus can result in compatibility issues, requiring adjustments when migrating projects.

Microsoft Visual Studio videos

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Lazarus videos

Lazarus The First Collection Hardcover Review.

More videos:

  • Review - Lazarus at NYTW Review
  • Review - Lazarus DELUXE Collection - Series and Hardcover Review! IMAGE COMICS
  • Tutorial - Lazarus Free Pascal, creating Sistem From zero to expert
  • Tutorial - acordeon menu with Lazarus

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Microsoft Visual Studio and Lazarus)
IDE
91 91%
9% 9
Text Editors
91 91%
9% 9
Software Development
89 89%
11% 11
Developer Tools
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Microsoft Visual Studio and Lazarus

Microsoft Visual Studio Reviews

9 Of The Best Android Studio Alternatives To Try Out
Microsoft Visual Studio (Download Here) is an Android studio alternative developed by Microsoft. You can build computer programs, websites, web services, and web applications and use platforms like windows forms, windows stores, Microsoft Silverlight, and Windows API.
What's The Best C++ IDE? Our Top C++ IDEs & Editors In 2024
As you'd expect, this IDE supports a vast array of C++ standards, libraries, and frameworks, catering to legacy applications and modern, cutting-edge projects. So whether you're building a simple console application or a high-performance game using Unreal Engine, Visual Studio is up to the job.
Source: hackr.io
Android Studio Alternative
Visual Studio is the best alternative for android studio. It is an IDE platform developed by Microsoft. It is used to build computer programs, website, web apps, mobile apps and web services. It uses various Microsoft software development platforms such as windows forms, windows API, windows store, windows presentation foundation and microsoft silverlight. Visual studio has...
Source: www.educba.com
Top 10 Visual Studio Alternatives
Visual studio has been in the game for 20 years or more. The first version of the visual studio was established in 1997. However, since the establishment years of the Visual Studio, there have been many changes. Microsoft visual studio is an integrated development environment that Microsoft programs.
Best Eclipse Alternatives to Use
Visual Studio is the most used IDE for .Net developers. It is an IDE that can be used to create almost all types of applications. It is used by many developers across the world to create many types of applications, both desktop and web-based.
Source: eclipsewin.com

Lazarus Reviews

We have no reviews of Lazarus yet.
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Social recommendations and mentions

Lazarus might be a bit more popular than Microsoft Visual Studio. We know about 1 link to it since March 2021 and only 1 link to Microsoft Visual Studio. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Microsoft Visual Studio mentions (1)

  • Why don't schools teach the modern c++?
    While the editor seems to old fashioned there isn't anything particularly wrong in using it for learning. Alternatively you can propose to your teacher about https://visualstudio.microsoft.com/vs/express/ . IMO editor is not a big factor when we are talking about high school learning. Source: almost 4 years ago

Lazarus mentions (1)

  • Are we GUI Yet? The state of building user interfaces in Rust
    > nearly as easy and pleasant as WinForms with VisualStudio Check out Lazarus: http://lazarus-ide.org It is WAY easier than WinForms. WinForms' VS "integration" feels as if they started with what Delphi 1 could do back in 1995 or so, implemented most of it and then decided that is enough. Lazarus' GUI tools are way above and beyond anything WinForms can do and the underlying LCL is crossplatform using... - Source: Hacker News / almost 4 years ago

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Microsoft Visual Studio and Lazarus, you can also consider the following products

Xcode - Xcode is Apple’s powerful integrated development environment for creating great apps for Mac, iPhone, and iPad. Xcode 4 includes the Xcode IDE, instruments, iOS Simulator, and the latest Mac OS X and iOS SDKs.

Free Pascal - Free Pascal (aka FPK Pascal) is a 32 and 64 bit professional Pascal compiler.

IntelliJ IDEA - Capable and Ergonomic IDE for JVM

Qt Creator - Qt Creator is a cross-platform C++, JavaScript and QML integrated development environment. It is the fastest, easiest and most fun experience a C++ developer could wish for.

VS Code - Build and debug modern web and cloud applications, by Microsoft

Python - Python is a clear and powerful object-oriented programming language, comparable to Perl, Ruby, Scheme, or Java.