Newbie question: what's the best version to start wtih?

[silverspecv]

I have written some 1.0 programs in VB6 and Access, and I am considering doing the 2.0's in Delphi, for the multitude of reasons I have read in here. I went to download the demo, but there are several backlevel versions still available, and what's more, it seems that some older versions are still quite heavily in use. what version do you all suggest?

 

[hilfy]

Delphi 7 if you're not doing .NET. The ADO components are more mature than in earlier versions. DO NOT do new developement with the BDE components (TDatabase, TTable, TQuery, etc.) as the BDE is old technology that is not being updated.

Good luck!
-Dell

A computer only does what you actually told it to do - not what you thought you told it to do.

 

[donvittorio]

I'm using Delphi 7, I can't see any benefit in using an older version than this.

Steve

 

[silverspecv]

What exactly makes the .NET versions into what they are? What is so ".NET"-ish about them? I thought the whole point of .net is that you have all these windows libraries available to call from your code, which basically puts you right back in the position of running interpreted code or at least having to worry about windows having the correct libraries preinstalled? One of the strong points of Delphi, as I understand it, is a more standalone executable with fewer libraries? Wouldn't .NET for Delphi be a step back? Am I interpreting this wrong?

 

[svanels]

I use Delphi 6, Used 3, 4 and 6. Silverspecv I agree that .NET is a step back, Alot of hype from microsoft to catch new users, but if your applications are robust and not influenced by every new version of the OS (Windows), you don't need it.
I still prefer the BDE above Ado. Once you set it up good, changing the Database back-end is just as simple changing the alias.

Steven van Els
SAvanEls@cq-link.sr

 

[Nordlund]

svanels, this was the word I was looking for. I have sked around what does .net so powerful, and whatäs the use of .net.
You have just answered my questions with the words I wanted...

One little drawback id BDE is "end of life", and you have to add some registry settings to get BDE to work. Other than that, BDE is great.

//Nordlund

 

[silverspecv]

.Net is great (or at least good) for VB programmers. The main advantage I see is that where you used to have to use a bunch of cryptic API calls to get certain things done where the new .Net framework (nothing more than a 25+ meg vbrun.dll) has nicer objects to do some of the low level stuff. As cheap as hard drives and ram are these days, I'd rather just compile everything into the EXE the way God intended, and dll's be damned.

 

[svanels]

From all the Windows OS, I found that Win-95 gives the most headache. Made a database application in 98, tested it with NT, 2000, XP and ME.
The application had the Win 32 TPageControl and in Win-95 the Page headers disapeared. Took me a while to find out that a dll of the OS was the culprit. dll hell

About the BDE, yes it gives a little work to install it, sometimes I use my installshield set-up disk, but once it is installed, putting another application is just mere copy-paste.

The 25+ meg vbrun.dll maybe nice, but I have seen to many people pulling out their hair because of the famous vbrun required when they installed some nice utility that works on computer A but not on computer B (same operating system).

About size, a 600K application is nothing compared to the resources a good game needs. A 16Mb USB stick is all what INeed. I find it a waste to burn a 650Mb when the application just need 3Mb of data.

Steven van Els
SAvanEls@cq-link.sr

 

[sijgs]

SilverSpecV:

With all due respect for my learned colleagues, I have stuck with D6.

The reasons are these:

I do a lot of TCP/IP programming and it does it.

I do a lot of direct serial port access and it does it.

I haven't a CLUE what to do with .NET (eh, call me old fashioned)

It's CHEAP

It WORKS

I use TP_Abbrevia (SP?) for zip stuff, it works

I use FTPiette for Socket stuff, it works

I just installed ElasticForm, it works

I got the idea that somewhere between D7 and D9999 that file access has been reduced to something only a mainiac might want to include in the code

And it appears to me that Borland(Inprise, or the OTHER maniac) may be trying to pull us along with the same %$#@ that Intuit is doing to Quicken and us "Geez, I just wanted to write a check"ers.....

And the PRICE!!!! just what bank does Borland(Inprise etc) think us individual consultants own??????)

My vote... don't go higher than the need for something you REALLY want...

We'll sure be happy to answer any questions as to "what is where in what release"

Oh, my word, did I really say all that......?



Regards and HTH,
JGS

 

[Mattlab]

I have been programming in D5 using the Win32 APIs for a number of years, it's a great environment.

However, the .Net framework will likely be part of the future OS as it is similar to the Win32 API vs. comparing the VB runtime. The framework "should" provide for better security and thus less viruses. Of course this will be at the developers expense as there will be security issues to deal with along with runtime files. However, I have a feeling that calling the Win32 api's directly will also eventually become a security nightmare as well. As for one executable. If you develop a large application splitting the work out into seperate runtime files makes shared development a little bit easier as well. There are certianly advantages for and against moving to the .Net platform, but I believe eventually it will be a required much like the jump from 16 bit to 32 bit, but until then why start from scratch..