I bought a copy of Delphi 3 at a computer show for about $10 back in the 90's. I didn't know what it was - I thought it was a database application. It sat on a shelf for 6 months. I was doing all my programming in C++ and it was very difficult for me. One day I decided to take a closer look at Delphi and it was like a breath of fresh air. For me, C++ is like stumbling through a field of jagged rocks and object pascal is like swiftly swimming through a flowing stream. Back in my Delphi days, employers paid for the software. But now that I am doing hobby programming mostly for myself, I am so glad Lazarus exists.