how to choose between Delphi and VB 13

[Painkiller]

Hi all,

I'm not trying to start a which is better thread here. It's just that I've been programming invisual basic for a couple of months now and recently my superiors have been suggesting me to learn another language such as delphi. Now my question is, can someone tell me the fundamental differences between VB and Delhpi (except for the basic and pascal difference of course) and in what situation would it be easier to use one instead of the other?

 

[FrankThynne]

No, I'm using Delphi Pro.

You are right: Access just doesn't touch many of the areas that Delphi can address - and for those reasons it is a thoroughly admirable product (apart from the poor documentation).

My remarks were based on database development. It has taken me months to produce a prototype database system that I could have produced in about ten days in Access. In the process I've produced much reusable code - but it's been hard work. And as for the BDE - ugh! The alternatives have a big overhead for prototyping.

 

[svanels]

There are a lot of books that explain the Client-Server concepts in Delphi. If you are acostumed to the "wizards" in access you will have a hard time. Actually with Delphi (enterprise + pro) itself, a lot of database examples are shipped, that handle interface and database design. Don't expect everything thourougly explained in the help file. They assume that you already have an understanding of database structures and referential constraints ans SQL concepts. Steven van Els
SAvanEls@cq-link.sr

 

[BobbaFet]

Plz remember people, that Delphi can be used to make apps
besides databases. Delphi's documentation might not be as
good as Access's but on the other side, Delphi can do way
more then Access, thus having much more to document. Also
I like the Delphi components over Access's. They are somehow
easier to "play" with. On the side, with MS Access your
stuck with MS Access databases (.mdb), with Delphi you have
a whole range of databases to choose from. Furthermore MS Access has a slow engine.

I hope this helps, BobbaFet

Everyone has a right to my opinion.
E-mail me at caswegkamp@hotmail.com

http://cwcon.50megs.com/

 

[mikeEd]

Just out of interest, why does no-one like Delphi's documentation?

 

[sggaunt]

It's full of mistakes, the examples are seldom relevant, You get API help when you wanted pascal, you dont get API help when you do want it, you ofen get 'Topic does not exist' type messages (dispite the thousands of notes required for some versions) the examples if they are relevant to the subject are often in the wrong context.
Dispite all this Delphi still beats VB hands down.

But if you want to see really poor help have a look at almost any emmbedded 'C' compiler IDE.

I will put up with the Delphi Help.....

Steve..

 

[mikeEd]

Admittedly the lack of Pascal specific API documentation is very poor.

I'll take your word for the other criticisms, though in four years of using three versions of Delphi I don't recall ever coming across mistakes, and I always thought the examples were quite good. I just think they could do with completely rewriting the API docs instead of using Microsoft's poorly illustrated C documentation.

 

[BobbaFet]

The only thing that bothers me about the Delphi help is that
like sggaunt said, the examples are rarely relevant. But besides that I think the help is quite good actually. BobbaFet

Everyone has a right to my opinion.
E-mail me at caswegkamp@hotmail.com

http://cwcon.50megs.com/

 

[Oppenhiemer]

Having used MS products to develop applications for a number of years - I have finally come to the conclusion that I must change development environments (for the sake of my own sanity!)

My main gripe with MS prodcucts is their reliance on COM and ActiveX technologies. MS products tend to be versioning hell. I mean that one day they may work fine - the next day you find they fall over for no apparent (logical) reason. This is often because another piece of software has been installed that has created a version conflict. Now this may be a DLL,ActiveX (or COM-related) component - but the effect is much the same.

While MS display a slavish dependance on this broken technology - I will stay clear. I have spent far too much time wrestling with these types of problems and having them reflect badly on my skilll as a programmer (customers only see problems - they dont often appreciate the root cause) that its a must (for me.)

Today (as a case in point) I spent about 3 hours trying to get 2 peices of software to install and behave properly. In the end (in conversation with the software vendors) I find that these problems are due to version conflicts.

Anyway, just my opinion - but I would stay clear of MS development if at all possible. IM not saying that Delphi cannot utilise the same technologies (and therefore fall foul of the same problems) but at least its minimal (and sometimes totally avoidable.)

Opp.

P.S some relevant links (especially the bit regarding comcat.dll)

http://www.kempscaseworks.com/subKnowledge/setups.htm

 

[edwinj]

I used to develop application in VB 4.0, then i saw delphi and from then i havnt looked back at VB. Its not abt microsoft or borland. Its just abt the product, i cant stand interbase, where as i like MS SQL 7 & Above.

As far is jobs are concerned especially in India, please dont (Try C#)..hardly handfull of companies using delphi and the openings are very very very limited.

Delphi Definetly Rocks !!!

 

[dilettante]

Dunno about these pricing numbers. Delphi 7 Personal lists at $99 US and you aren't licensed to use it for commercial purposes. Next step up is Delphi 7 Studio Professional and it lists at $999 US. Studio Enterprise takes you up to $2,999 while "Architect" lists at $3,499.

Nothing's cheap though.

VB .Net Standard lists at $109 US, though it can be used commercially (at least I didn't find a restriction). To go "up" you get Visual Studio .Net Pro, which goes for $1,079 US and gets you a lot more than just VB. I haven't dug up pricing on Enterprise or Architect editions, but in general I assume Borland's list prices run a shade under the "corresponding" MS prices.

So maybe relative price isn't an issue.

 

[Fluke026]

I would like to make a comment on the Access vs. Delphi thread started above. At work we have to do everything in M$. While here I have had to write two programs in Access. Both are database and creating the tables themselves was a breeze. I missed a few things from Paradox but not much (an index on more than one field). With that soft compliment, let me register my complaints.

1. Building the Access forms to access the data was far from easy. I missed a lot of things from Delphi. The controls were limited in function. Layout was attrocious.
2. The queries created by the Access "wizard" were scary to read. Being so complicated, debugging time quadrupled.
3. I spent days going through the Access Bible trying to find out how to get access two tables from one form (not a subform). I don't think I ever found something that satisfied.
4. Unlike Delphi, VBA cannot assign two events to the same piece of code. That would have been so nice. I made a work around (event handlers just calling subs), but I didn't like it. Someone said I should use a macro, but the VBA/Access no-help files lived up to thg high standard of quality that we programmers expect from all M$ products.
5. Many events from Delphi weren't in VBA/Access, limiting the functionality of my projects.
6. I calculated that these two little projects (which took a month each in VBA/Access) could have been completed in less than a week each in Delphi.

So, yeah. Acces may be a good DB/Table maker. The front end sucks rocks, though. Given a choice between VBA/Access and Delphi/Paradox, I'll take the limitations in the BDE.

Delphi rules!

Frank