The Business Case For Delphi by "unknow"
"unknow" - 2020
"unknow" - 2020
[SHOWTOGROUPS=4,20]
What is Delphi and what's it for?
Short history, short explanation, and a masterful statement promoting it as a high-productivity tool versus VS without slamming VS or Microsoft. (1 page)
Delphi is a general purpose development environment for all versions of Windows. It is the most powerful tool available for software developers working on the Windows platform. It can produce any kind of Windows application, including Service and Console applications, IIS extensions, etc, but in the specific case of GUI applications and database access, it is the best tool available, bar none.
It can create programs that run on any version of Windows, access every major kind of Database, including ORACLE, SQL Server, DB2, Interbase, Firebird, and supports n-tier and Client/Server architectures. It supports Win32, Win64, MacOS, iOS, Android, IoT and Web.
For native code development, Delphi is a "force-multiplier" tool that provides native code performance and yet provides a fast design, implementation, and build environment that allows users to slip into a "rapid" mode of development. Delphi enables Rapid Application Development, without the overhead of runtimes, interpreters, Для просмотра ссылки Войдиили Зарегистрируйся, garbage-collectors, etc. In short, Delphi hits a sweet spot in the developer tools segment that no other tool hits, giving the performance and zero-runtime-requirements of native coding environments, while giving the developer the speed of RAD, but without the drawbacks of either.
Interestingly, the underlying architecture of the Delphi product and its object-oriented VCL framework (Visual Control Library) has allowed it to bring its considerable strengths to .Net development as well. Experienced Delphi programmers can be productive in .Net immediately because they can continue to use the same VCL framework classes and powerful GUI design environment they have used for native-code development, yet the resulting .Net executable is a 100% managed .Net application.
Existing application code, perhaps dating all the way back to Delphi's first version in 1995, can often migrate with little or even no change into .Net where it can be leveraged by being able to introduce new features and abilities found on the .Net platform. New development for .Net can leverage this VCL platform, or use the Winforms framework provided by Microsoft, and Delphi provides ASP.Net development too.
Delphi features
Bullet points on features, which although referencing technical features, will not bury by non-techs (3 pages).
High productivity for advanced programmers
Delphi is designed to greatly multiply the productivity of advanced programmers. This has attracted a great number of the top, highly-experienced programmers to Delphi. It is widely known in the world of software development that you can get the greatest ROI by investing in tools that maximize the output of the staff that are already at the top of your current team.
Enable the line programmers to benefit from the senior programmers and team leaders
Although Delphi has many advanced capabilities, the source code you wind up with is extremely readable by all programmers - even those who are unfamiliar with Delphi. Delphi minimizes the risk of having advanced programmers on your team creating source code that can't be supported or maintained by anyone else, making IT dependent on single individuals. Delphi handles that issue because code created by technical programming specialists can easily be put to work by business-line, industry, category, and product specialist programmers.
Fast Delphi learning curve for programmers with experience in other languages
Delphi's feature advantages are usable and obvious to programmers who have any solid experience in other languages. This allows Delphi to co-exist in environments where more than one programming language or tool is in use. Some companies have a Delphi programming team to produce fast, working prototypes. If and when they want to shift to a company-standard or market-specified language, the much larger development project will find that its programmers can follow and translate Delphi code without the full involvement of the prototyping team.
The Pascal language that Delphi uses is ideally suited to expressing coded logic in a way that's easy to read, understand and maintain. Many of the other languages popular today are derived from C which is used predominantly to build operating systems and device drivers. Not only is C more difficult to read than Pascal, it seems that many C programmers actually take pride in writing Для просмотра ссылки Войдиили Зарегистрируйся. And it is easy to see that begin, end, and, or, not, procedure and function are more readable than {, }, &&, ||, !, void and ().
Also, the fact that the Pascal language originates from the academic world, where it is taught to I.T. students, means there is no shortage in young professionals who are proficient in the language.
Full support for all active Microsoft Windows desktop and server operating systems
Delphi has always delivered both compatibility and feature-support for computers running Windows (other platforms are supported by some "flavors" of the CodeGear's programming-language products). (Note there is currently no support for 64 bit).
Extended leveraging of Windows under-the-hood capabilities
Obviously, there are several languages and tools that support Microsoft's Windows platforms. Delphi makes it easy to use many deeply-buried capabilities of the operating systems, far beyond what is required for Microsoft Product logo approval. Delphi actually takes advantage of Windows capabilities that are there on every workstation and server, by supplying use of these features right from the Delphi application designer, and without the programmers needing to understand these deep Windows capabilities.
Ease of roll-out and maintenance
Delphi is capable of generating complete stand-alone executables that do not rely on any run-time environment other than Windows itself. Thus there is no need to accompany an install with the latest 30MB version of a run-time environment. This can make roll-outs, distributions, upgrades, patching and maintenance easier, and can help avoid "DLL hell".
Because a Delphi program is compiled the resulting executable is guaranteed to run reliably on all versions of Windows whereas the behaviour of a program developed with an interpreted language is dependent on the version of the installed scripting engine. (This is the hidden reason many software developers are forced to use the Software-As-A-Service (SaaS) model because without full control of the system on which the program is running they are unable to guarantee a reliable operation.)
Wide range of third party components
Delphi comes with a large range of built-in components which can be dropped on to forms and used straight out of the box. But there is also a large community of developers creating and distributing third party components, which you can drop in to your application. These developers run the full range from open to commercial. This allows you to leverage code created by others, helping to decrease development time and cost.
Complete support for Unicode
Starting with Delphi 2009 it completely supports the Unicode standard to make development of multilingual or international applications easier than before.
Support for new user interface paradigms
Since Delphi 2007 some newer user interface thinks like Vista's Aero Glass are supported. Delphi 2009 adds a Office 2007 style ribbon control to it, but using it requires to sign a royalty free licence agreement with Microsoft. Which binds you to over 100 pages of rules what you may do or not do with it. Delphi 2009 now also supports PNG files and the transparency information included in them (if included).
Thriving in a Microsoft environment
Delphi has leveraged the MS platform and co-existed successfully with MS's tools on the MS platform since 1995. Delphi is designed to be a specific kind of productivity tool for the MS platform; it is not an anti-MS platform tool or non-MS platform tool. C# and VB.net programmers and managers usually have no trouble reading and understanding Delphi Pascal code.
Single-EXE deployment; no drivers or special platform-based setup required to use Delphi-generated programs. Delphi includes the source-code for its own components, and always has. Many pre-built solutions are available from 3rd parties.
Typically, they are free or inexpensive and include source code. Solid numbers of programmers are trained and experienced in Delphi, and while this number is exceeded by Microsoft's own tools, the Delphi numbers in turn is far from niche.
When developers need to drill down to Windows API functions, a complete translation of most Win32 C APIs to Delphi is included within the product. Note that .NET does not cover the entire WIN32 API.(1 page)
Protecting your development investment
Your source code is your intellectual capital. If the thought of having it made worthless when the platform it is built upon is yanked out from under your feet is discomforting, consider a platform with a 12 year commitment to supporting and enhancing existing code whilst simultaneously giving you access to the latest operating system features.
Consider the changes to your current development environment that have forced you to rewrite your code over the past 12 years. Are you using an old version of your development tool because the latest version would require you to rewrite your code?
Now consider that Delphi code written in 1995 for Windows 3.1 will compile and run today with minimal or no changes in the latest version of Delphi as either a native Win32 executable or a .NET assembly with easy access to the latest Windows Vista and .NET features.
If you only use/buy controls that have source code (most do) moving to the next version of Delphi is not only possible, but relatively easy. This is the case even if the company/person that originally created the component is no longer available.
The Delphi VCL has been carefully architected from the ground up to avoid the need for these huge breaking changes. From Windows 3.1 all the way through to Windows Vista, code written in Delphi can be brought up to date with the latest Microsoft platforms (including .NET) with a modest amount of incremental work, and without throwing everything out and starting over.
Does your current development environment have this sort of commitment to maintaining your investment in your code?
[/SHOWTOGROUPS]
What is Delphi and what's it for?
Short history, short explanation, and a masterful statement promoting it as a high-productivity tool versus VS without slamming VS or Microsoft. (1 page)
Delphi is a general purpose development environment for all versions of Windows. It is the most powerful tool available for software developers working on the Windows platform. It can produce any kind of Windows application, including Service and Console applications, IIS extensions, etc, but in the specific case of GUI applications and database access, it is the best tool available, bar none.
It can create programs that run on any version of Windows, access every major kind of Database, including ORACLE, SQL Server, DB2, Interbase, Firebird, and supports n-tier and Client/Server architectures. It supports Win32, Win64, MacOS, iOS, Android, IoT and Web.
For native code development, Delphi is a "force-multiplier" tool that provides native code performance and yet provides a fast design, implementation, and build environment that allows users to slip into a "rapid" mode of development. Delphi enables Rapid Application Development, without the overhead of runtimes, interpreters, Для просмотра ссылки Войди
Interestingly, the underlying architecture of the Delphi product and its object-oriented VCL framework (Visual Control Library) has allowed it to bring its considerable strengths to .Net development as well. Experienced Delphi programmers can be productive in .Net immediately because they can continue to use the same VCL framework classes and powerful GUI design environment they have used for native-code development, yet the resulting .Net executable is a 100% managed .Net application.
Existing application code, perhaps dating all the way back to Delphi's first version in 1995, can often migrate with little or even no change into .Net where it can be leveraged by being able to introduce new features and abilities found on the .Net platform. New development for .Net can leverage this VCL platform, or use the Winforms framework provided by Microsoft, and Delphi provides ASP.Net development too.
Delphi features
Bullet points on features, which although referencing technical features, will not bury by non-techs (3 pages).
High productivity for advanced programmers
Delphi is designed to greatly multiply the productivity of advanced programmers. This has attracted a great number of the top, highly-experienced programmers to Delphi. It is widely known in the world of software development that you can get the greatest ROI by investing in tools that maximize the output of the staff that are already at the top of your current team.
Enable the line programmers to benefit from the senior programmers and team leaders
Although Delphi has many advanced capabilities, the source code you wind up with is extremely readable by all programmers - even those who are unfamiliar with Delphi. Delphi minimizes the risk of having advanced programmers on your team creating source code that can't be supported or maintained by anyone else, making IT dependent on single individuals. Delphi handles that issue because code created by technical programming specialists can easily be put to work by business-line, industry, category, and product specialist programmers.
Fast Delphi learning curve for programmers with experience in other languages
Delphi's feature advantages are usable and obvious to programmers who have any solid experience in other languages. This allows Delphi to co-exist in environments where more than one programming language or tool is in use. Some companies have a Delphi programming team to produce fast, working prototypes. If and when they want to shift to a company-standard or market-specified language, the much larger development project will find that its programmers can follow and translate Delphi code without the full involvement of the prototyping team.
The Pascal language that Delphi uses is ideally suited to expressing coded logic in a way that's easy to read, understand and maintain. Many of the other languages popular today are derived from C which is used predominantly to build operating systems and device drivers. Not only is C more difficult to read than Pascal, it seems that many C programmers actually take pride in writing Для просмотра ссылки Войди
Also, the fact that the Pascal language originates from the academic world, where it is taught to I.T. students, means there is no shortage in young professionals who are proficient in the language.
Full support for all active Microsoft Windows desktop and server operating systems
Delphi has always delivered both compatibility and feature-support for computers running Windows (other platforms are supported by some "flavors" of the CodeGear's programming-language products). (Note there is currently no support for 64 bit).
Extended leveraging of Windows under-the-hood capabilities
Obviously, there are several languages and tools that support Microsoft's Windows platforms. Delphi makes it easy to use many deeply-buried capabilities of the operating systems, far beyond what is required for Microsoft Product logo approval. Delphi actually takes advantage of Windows capabilities that are there on every workstation and server, by supplying use of these features right from the Delphi application designer, and without the programmers needing to understand these deep Windows capabilities.
Ease of roll-out and maintenance
Delphi is capable of generating complete stand-alone executables that do not rely on any run-time environment other than Windows itself. Thus there is no need to accompany an install with the latest 30MB version of a run-time environment. This can make roll-outs, distributions, upgrades, patching and maintenance easier, and can help avoid "DLL hell".
Because a Delphi program is compiled the resulting executable is guaranteed to run reliably on all versions of Windows whereas the behaviour of a program developed with an interpreted language is dependent on the version of the installed scripting engine. (This is the hidden reason many software developers are forced to use the Software-As-A-Service (SaaS) model because without full control of the system on which the program is running they are unable to guarantee a reliable operation.)
Wide range of third party components
Delphi comes with a large range of built-in components which can be dropped on to forms and used straight out of the box. But there is also a large community of developers creating and distributing third party components, which you can drop in to your application. These developers run the full range from open to commercial. This allows you to leverage code created by others, helping to decrease development time and cost.
Complete support for Unicode
Starting with Delphi 2009 it completely supports the Unicode standard to make development of multilingual or international applications easier than before.
Support for new user interface paradigms
Since Delphi 2007 some newer user interface thinks like Vista's Aero Glass are supported. Delphi 2009 adds a Office 2007 style ribbon control to it, but using it requires to sign a royalty free licence agreement with Microsoft. Which binds you to over 100 pages of rules what you may do or not do with it. Delphi 2009 now also supports PNG files and the transparency information included in them (if included).
Thriving in a Microsoft environment
Delphi has leveraged the MS platform and co-existed successfully with MS's tools on the MS platform since 1995. Delphi is designed to be a specific kind of productivity tool for the MS platform; it is not an anti-MS platform tool or non-MS platform tool. C# and VB.net programmers and managers usually have no trouble reading and understanding Delphi Pascal code.
Single-EXE deployment; no drivers or special platform-based setup required to use Delphi-generated programs. Delphi includes the source-code for its own components, and always has. Many pre-built solutions are available from 3rd parties.
Typically, they are free or inexpensive and include source code. Solid numbers of programmers are trained and experienced in Delphi, and while this number is exceeded by Microsoft's own tools, the Delphi numbers in turn is far from niche.
When developers need to drill down to Windows API functions, a complete translation of most Win32 C APIs to Delphi is included within the product. Note that .NET does not cover the entire WIN32 API.(1 page)
Protecting your development investment
Your source code is your intellectual capital. If the thought of having it made worthless when the platform it is built upon is yanked out from under your feet is discomforting, consider a platform with a 12 year commitment to supporting and enhancing existing code whilst simultaneously giving you access to the latest operating system features.
Consider the changes to your current development environment that have forced you to rewrite your code over the past 12 years. Are you using an old version of your development tool because the latest version would require you to rewrite your code?
Now consider that Delphi code written in 1995 for Windows 3.1 will compile and run today with minimal or no changes in the latest version of Delphi as either a native Win32 executable or a .NET assembly with easy access to the latest Windows Vista and .NET features.
If you only use/buy controls that have source code (most do) moving to the next version of Delphi is not only possible, but relatively easy. This is the case even if the company/person that originally created the component is no longer available.
The Delphi VCL has been carefully architected from the ground up to avoid the need for these huge breaking changes. From Windows 3.1 all the way through to Windows Vista, code written in Delphi can be brought up to date with the latest Microsoft platforms (including .NET) with a modest amount of incremental work, and without throwing everything out and starting over.
Does your current development environment have this sort of commitment to maintaining your investment in your code?
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