Delphi

[Paul2012]

Has anyone purchased a recent version of Delphi without having previously used a version from 7 or earlier? I don't think anyone wanting to become a programmer in the last 5 years would choose Delphi. Its documentation is crap. e.g. The help on "undeclared identifier TStringProperty" tells you nothing about TStringProperty.
I guess the Delphi population will dwindle away to nothing in the next 5 years.

 

[whosrdaddy]

I guess you might be wrong

/Daddy

-----------------------------------------------------
What You See Is What You Get
Never underestimate tha powah of tha google!

 

[djjd47130]

I guess if you want to know Delphi, you don't need much documentation, so long as you know what you're doing. I'm sticking with Delphi and won't go anywhere else!

Please elaborate on what you're asking. Code snippet please? We can't fix something when we don't know what your problem is!

JD Solutions

 

[Paul2012]

I am not asking anything. I am pointing out that if you don't already know Delphi you would not choose it as your primary development tool. The help on new versions is microsoft's and is full of links to non-delphi stuff. You search for help on some function and get told it is available in C#.

 

[whosrdaddy]

Paul the resources on the web about Delphi are vast, C# is king in the web development space (.NET was meant for that) but for fast realtime fat client applications you still need C++ or Delphi.

/Daddy

-----------------------------------------------------
What You See Is What You Get
Never underestimate tha powah of tha google!

 

[Paul2012]

What was the First version of Delphi that you used? I want to know if there are any genuinely any NEW Delphi programmers

 

[Prattaratt]

I learned to program with Turbo Pascal 5.5 and bought my own coipy of Turbo Pascal 6.0 (Still have a copy on my old desktop, in fact) which was the precursor to Delphi. I learned C++ with Borland's C++ Builder 5.0 which I also still have, and used up until two years ago when I upgraded to C++ Builder 2010. I am currently using RAD Studio XE2 and getting reaquainted with Pascal/Delphi. So in sense, I am a new Delphi developer, but only kinda sorta.

 

[djjd47130]

I started with Delphi 7 about 4 years ago, used a little bit of D2010 about 1 year ago, and now I'm getting started with DXE2. Firemonkey in XE2 looks promising, but it's far from ready yet. It has some controls (such as toolbar, statusbar, etc.) but yet no implementation of them yet. But it has VAST capabilities for customization of controls. I think FM is supposed to be the new face of Delphi, it's just not quite ready yet. They want developers to take the structure they have now and build their own controls, and submit them for possible standard controls (and even skins, etc.) I've worked with C# in ASP.NET quite a bit, and have to say that .NET is cool, but I hate any language which is so dependent on something like that.

JD Solutions

 

[DjangMan]

I would guess that the price point of Delphi (before the free version were available) would dissuade the novice user. I only got into Delphi because the company I was working with was using Delphi. I had taken a Pascal class in college so I knew the language. Now I spend my days split between D2009 and Vb6/Vba.

 

[whosrdaddy]

Visual studio is not free either! I just think Embarcadero is going the correct route embracing ARM platforms which will make them stronger in the long run as we will see multiple ecosystems (smartphone, tablet, ...) grow larger than the PC platform

/Daddy

-----------------------------------------------------
What You See Is What You Get
Never underestimate tha powah of tha google!

 

[DjangMan]

Hmm - nice to see Embarcadero within $100 of MSoft (for the Pro versions). $100 isn't much to pay for a way better tool. +1 to E.

 

[glewins]

Paul: I am an older programmer, so I am going to wade in and say a piece.

I starting programming in 1985 in basica and gwbasic for some local woodworking companies. In 1989, I purchased I believe was
Turbo Pascal 4. Wow, I will not denigrate any version of basic, as at that time we are talking apples and oranges. I picked up Pascal fast. I moved through all versions then into the Delphi's, yes even Delphi 5. I now use Delph XE.

I have been mandated by various customers to use C, C++, True Basic, Access, Foxpro, Power Builder, Cobol etc, etc, etc. Everytime, I come back to Pascal or its variant.

Yes, the docs nowadays are slightly convoluted, but are generic across several languages, as whosrdaddys says, look to google.

I personally have been involved with projects that range from medical, dental and medical machine's to industrial applications for pulpmill operations and the related machines that are written in a pascal/delphi language or a hybrid pascal/delphi.

Don't give up, remember an older programming axium, GIGO. garbage in, garbage out.

Good luck


George