[DUG] Future of us Delphi programmer in New Zealand?

[Kurt]

John Bird wrote:
> Any more comments from those who have used C# for serious work how they rate 
> its strengths and weaknesses against Delphi? Delphi  IDE vs VS?   C# vs 
> Java?  (just small questions eh..)
> 
> After they both have the same author (Anders Hejlsberg).  Is C# Delphi done 
> right?  or is it Delphi done big the MS way?  Can it be used for mobile 
> devices?

You definitely notice Anders up in there :)

But nah, Delphi is as close as you'll get to Delphi done right whereas 
C# is more Java done right. (Would be interesting to see a Modula-2 or 
even Modula-3 Delphi, though.)

And the Delphi compiler is still a freak of nature - don't have a *lot* 
of experience here, but still don't think theres anything that comes 
close as far as being small and fast and making binaries that are as 
small and fast.

Unavoidably they've thrown some MS stuff in .net/C# - some truly heinous 
frameworks. And there is still something of the "Software Patterns" fad 
that went through Delphi (5,10 years ago?) and Java, though none of the 
proponents even know what the GOF book is any more :)

> How much is it just a product that MS sells and how much is it a serious 
> tool they themsleves use? (for Windows and Office)

So its not for writing Office with, not ever, don't try. Or Photoshop, 
or a database or any headline applications.
But ms are as serious about it as any ms product (ie at the moment :), 
and trying to grow it (via Silverlight, the ms Flash killer).

FWIW, they did have an Office.net for a while, back when .net first came 
out, but they were lying[*], and nobody had believed them anyway ;)

[*] Sorry, they were "marketing".

> [I am much more relaxed about merits of languages than most here, as the 
> language I programmed in for over 20 years, and still keep a fondness for, 
> doesn't even rate in the top 100 of computer languages I think...Dibol/DBL, 
> so stepping into Delphi was  a big step into the mainstream for me]
> 

Heh, I left Delphi for the mainstream :)


Cheers, Kurt.