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Everything is a Wrapper


One important concept to grasp onto in programming is that almost all products out there are just wrappers. Delphi VCL is a wrapper around the windows API, for example. Delphi is not some magical system that creates TObjects, methods, and properties. It's just a wrapper around the windows API. A lot of Object Oriented programmers go overboard and confuse people into thinking that the Objects are actually what makes the program tick. But in the end, objects are just high level wrappers around something lower level. It is important to forget about low level some times, and focus on high level - in order to get things done. But remember, you can always write a wrapper. Don't be stuck in high level mode all the time, or you might not think of a powerful function or procedure to write. Don't be satisfied with low or mid-level functions: think about some useful wrappers. You might get caught thinking that Dot Net or PHP or Python or Perl is some magical thing, when in fact these are just very big wrappers. You can write a wrapper too, and if you understand the concepts of wrappers.. you may end up with Lazarus, Delphi, Dot Net (hopefully not that), a programming language, a product, an API. If you get caught into the mode of thinking where you don't know exactly what a function does, or why it is being marketted as magic, may just need some wrapper education.
A low level can become a mid level, and a mid level can become a high level. Write a wrapper! There is no reason to continue using Read() if you can utilize ReadLn(). There is no reason to continue using ReadLn() if you can utilize StrLoadFile. There is no reason to use Assembly in windows programming if you can utilize KOL ASM version. These are all examples of wrappers.
Many Dot Net microsoft weenies don't understand that Dot Net will just be wrapping around the windows API. Many Database weenies don't understand that databases are just wrapping around a file system (databases are files, just special ones).
It is important to understand and use high level languages in place of low level, but don't forget that a lot of marketing is sold based on a bunch of wrappers. You can right wrappers too. PHP is just a wrapper. Perl is just a wrapper. These are just higher level tools.

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