Re: Delphi programmers are conservative

VB4, because you dont understand .NET.

1) .NET is not a runtime library, its a platform. Big difference. By
your definition, Win32 is a runtime library too.

Okay, I give. How did you come to the conclusion that Win32 was a
runtime library. By what "definition."

2) .NET code is natively compiled before its executed. VB code is not.

Incorrect :)

Visual Basic has been compiling to native code since version 5.0.
Distributing
the runtime library with your application was no different than distributing
runtime libraries with any C/C++/Delphi application, or runtime packages
for the components you used (like ActiveX controls in VB). The only diff-
erence is that Visual Basic lacked the capability to statically link the RTL
functions into the resulting executable, so distributing the library was
mandatory
(well not really, since it is included in Windows OS and Service Packs
AFAICT).

But the basic premise of my post is that 10 years ago the 'front
runners' went to delphi because of its fast development and native
compilation. Many of these 'front runners' appear to want the same
thing still. They havent 'gone' anywhere... rather, Delphi has
changed.

I'll agree to that. Delphi stopped being the innovator and become the
behind follower.

Delphi innovates still, they just don't innovate on the .NET platform (apart
from ECO and VCL.NET). I guess the miscalculation was that Visual Basic
4/5/6 was Delphi's main competitor. Visual C++ was more a competitor
than Visual Basic for Win32 development, since most commercial Win32
applications were written in Visual C++ than Visual Basic. Visual Basic
was very popular for business users, but few developers dared to write
complex/complicated solutions in Visual Basic. It really wasn't a "General
Purpose" development language IMO.

Delphi targeted the VB market becuase VB had many shortcomings and it
was fairly easy to overshadow them, but going on capabilities and use, VB
wasn't really competition to Delphi. VC++ was more common than VB in
the commercial development community. Sun's JVM was [and still is?]
written in VC++, as are many/most commercial games.

Borland set themselves up for this when they marketed Delphi as VBKiller.
If you have the ease of Visual Basic with the power of C++ you mind as
well compete with C++. Visual Basic (pre-.Net) always seemed like a
language for niche purposes, and not broadly usable. C++ developers
don't like things like C++Builder, they like stuff like MFC and STL.

Delphi developers are conservative (or seem that way) because the purpose
of Delphi wasn't really geared with .NET in mind, and it's hard to change a
mindset when you've been so insanely successful on the Win32 platform
and .NET offers little that's new to you, and more just a different way to
do
what you can already do on Win32. Had Delphi been marketed differently,
and at a different development community, things would be different.

There would already be a 64-bit compiler, there would be a mixxed-mode
compiler, and it could have been more successful (not that it isn't already,
just more so) because they wouldn't have been so far ahead and comfort
breeds lazyness, IMHO.

- Nate.


.

Relevant Pages

  • Alternative Future of Delphi?
    ... relevant compiler or interpreter... ... No more intricate code generation required for a particular platform ... on the Delphi compiler side. ...
    (borland.public.delphi.non-technical)
  • Re: The New Roadmap
    ... C# and Chrome don't have these issues because they don't have Win32 ... between different versions of the compiler and in both Win32 and .Net ... The question was "What's better in Delphi for .NET than C# or Chrome?", ... Forward migration of WinForms projects works ...
    (borland.public.delphi.non-technical)
  • Re: I have seen some fat client Dot Net apps
    ... it does prevent me from taking advantage of the other platform. ... The biggest hurdle in porting existing Win32 -> .NET is third party ... and it's the same as the reason why many Delphi ... developers haven't embraced .NET. ...
    (borland.public.delphi.non-technical)
  • Re: Delphi 9 - Your Expectations
    ... there just is no practical reason for Delphi ... I doubt that Win32 will survive the next 10 years as the major Windows platform. ... At least you will write Win64 code, but then you won?t be able to use ... the code emitted by the compiler. ...
    (borland.public.delphi.non-technical)
  • Re: Detecting WIN32 or .NET example in a compiler directive
    ... WriteLn('Welcome to the WIN32 world!'); ... there's no reason for the compiler directives ... Delphi for Win32 ...
    (alt.comp.lang.borland-delphi)