This folder contains the strategic positioning and technical comparison documents for the Dext Framework.
1. Dext_vs_DotNet_Narrative.md — The Story
"Why Dext was built — and what it means for Delphi in 2026."
A human, narrative-first document. Ideal for blog posts, forum threads, community presentations, and anyone getting their first impression of Dext. It tells the why and the so what, not just the what.
Best for:
- Blog posts and community articles
- Introduction threads on Delphi/programming forums
- A quick read for CTOs and engineering managers
- Developers from .NET or other ecosystems evaluating Dext for the first time
2. Feature_Comparison_Dext_vs_DotNet.md — The Reference Table
"What Dext does — feature by feature, side by side with .NET."
A structured, objective reference document. Organized into four blocks:
- Block A: 60+ features at full parity with ASP.NET Core + EF Core
- Block B: 17 features exclusive to Dext (not available in .NET)
- Block C: Honest gaps and roadmap items
- Block D: Platform differences that don't apply to Delphi by design
Best for:
- Tech leads doing a formal technical evaluation
- Developers wanting a precise feature lookup
- PR or README links as a technical evidence page
- Open-source contributors evaluating where to focus efforts
3. Dext_ORM_Capabilities.md — The ORM Deep-Dive
"How the Dext ORM works — architecture, code, and exclusive capabilities."
A technical deep-dive focused exclusively on the ORM and data access layer. Contains side-by-side code examples (Delphi vs C#) for all core patterns, including advanced sections on Multi-Mapping, Stored Procedures, Smart Properties, EntityDataSet, JSON Column queries, and high-performance engineering internals.
Best for:
- Delphi developers learning or adopting Dext.ORM
- Technical writers documenting the ORM
- Developers migrating from FireDAC + legacy components to Dext
- Anyone evaluating the ORM's depth independently from the rest of the framework
4. Open_Source_Licensing_Enterprise.md — The Enterprise Safety Guide
"Why Apache 2.0 matters — compliance, patent protection, and CI/CD pipeline clearance."
A whitepaper-style document for enterprise and legal evaluation. Covers the strategic importance of Apache 2.0 over GPL/MIT/LGPL, how Dext clears automated compliance tools (like Snyk), and what it means for commercial product development.
Best for:
- Enterprise procurement and legal teams
- CTOs and architects evaluating open-source risk
- Organizations with strict IP and patent compliance requirements
- Teams running automated license-scanning in their CI/CD pipelines
| You are… | Start with | Then read |
|---|---|---|
| Dev from .NET / Java / Go curious about Dext | Narrative | Feature_Comparison (Block B) |
| Tech lead doing a formal evaluation | Feature_Comparison | ORM_Capabilities |
| Delphi dev adopting the ORM | ORM_Capabilities | — |
| CTO / Manager needing a business case | Narrative (skip to "The Numbers") | Licensing |
| Enterprise procurement / legal | Licensing | — |
| Open-source contributor | Feature_Comparison (Block C roadmap) | Ecosystem Overview |
- 📘 Dext Ecosystem Overview — Architecture deep-dive: zero-allocation pipeline, SIMD collections, Binary Code Folding
- 📗 Features Implemented Index — Complete feature implementation index with spec links
- 🗺️ Roadmap — Planned features and Wave delivery schedule
Dext Framework | May 2026