Why I Choose Delphi?
Starting with UCSD-Pascal in school on Apple II. I used my Sharp MZ-800 (Z80 CPU) with CP/M and Turbo Pascal 1.0. I had a special utility to write IBM-Disks on MZ-800. So I was able to transfer my “homework” to the IBM XT, to show my work in school, with Turbo Pascal 1.0, too.
At this point, I got an offer to do a business application. This application was my first real Pascal application, too.
Before that, all my programs were programmed in Z80 assemblers, like my own 1000 byte Disk-Operating-System - FL-DOS from 1986.
To keep the necessary procedures together, I collected procedures in “one” Pas File called Runtime.pas.
“Yes”, this unit is still alive today but called Basis.pas and wBasis.pas for Windows-Stuff. I collected a million lines of source-code and unites over the years. Some have changed but many are still in use.
Starting with e.g. C# would take me month or years to reproduce my “runtime” core procedures.
That is the practical side. Besides this, for me, a compiler has to produce an exe…
No P-Code, no script no runtime interpretation. “My” compiler has to produce a standalone application that brings everything with it. No runtime stuff that had to be prior installed.
Ok, .NET was a “not so bad idea”. To have code that could be optimized for the given CPU at first run. Do we have this kind of “run on RISC-CPU” environment?
So let’s compare:
#C could be a choice because the code is like Pascal or not so far away!
C / C++, source code looks like someone had rolled an Armadillo over the keyboard.
End of List…
Yes, you can do everything in Delphi! However, If you are looking for some special things, you always find the source in C* but not in Delphi. For these small parts. Compile with C* link an object or use a DLL, done.
Have I tried to switch to C#? Yes but, I’m so much faster in writing Delphi… It was a waste of time and btw. I hate MS-IDE. (I still use the original WordStar key mapping from my early days on CP/M).
Remember the famous words: “The clueless people shall spend their time reinventing the wheel, while the elite merely uses the WordStar key mappings”.
Let us not talk about Pascal / Delphi as a source-code. One of the big things is productivity. The IDE and the compilation speed. Turn cycles are a major point in development.
Set Breakpoint, F9 to compile and start, debug, STRG-F2 to stop, change something and hit F9 again…. If you like, you can do this thousand times in an hour.
For many years I took the RAD approach – button on the Form -> double-Click -> and go with the code… Why not!
This was the time where nobody talked about design patterns, separation of form and code or other things. Why? No Internet…
Yes, I know the Internet starts on 1989/1991 and my Application was for Win95. However, when did you start your first AOL Internet over Hayes-Modem “You have new Mail” – Client?
We don’t talk about Borland-Pascal for Windows – But I had a small working Demo of my Software, simulating the DOS-Screen in a Windows-Frame… (If you ask me, I’ve never done this).
My Company depends on Delphi and I have no problem with this…
Because Delphi is the best development tool, I’ve ever seen.
