The Howdy Glossary

xHarbour is an open-source programming language and compiler created to maintain compatibility with CA-Clipper 5.3 while incorporating object-oriented features from Visual Objects. It supports multi-paradigm development, including procedural and imperative styles, with optional encapsulation through classes or universal functions. Compiled into C code, xHarbour directly accesses external C/C++ libraries, enhancing performance and enabling cross-platform deployment on various operating systems. Its LGPL licensing ensures long-term sustainability within the open-source community.

Antonio Linares and other developers created xHarbour to modernize the xBase language dialect by integrating object-oriented features and providing robust cross-platform support. This initiative aimed to enhance the performance capabilities of CA-Clipper while maintaining its core functionalities, thus offering a versatile programming tool for developers. By bridging traditional procedural paradigms with modern object-oriented practices, xHarbour provides a more adaptable programming environment suitable for contemporary software development needs.

xHarbour faces competition from similar tools like Clipper, Harbour, Visual FoxPro, Clip, as well as broader languages like C/C++, Python, Java, and JavaScript that serve diverse development purposes. Its competitive edge lies in maintaining CA-Clipper compatibility while introducing advanced features from Visual Objects; supporting multi-paradigm approaches; compiling into efficient C code; and ensuring sustainability through LGPL licensing. These attributes collectively make xHarbour a powerful option for developers needing a modernized yet familiar xBase dialect capable of high performance across multiple platforms.