Embarcadero Delphi is sold!

[ykot]

I thought also that desktop development and PCs are dying. Until I saw a person working with Google Sheet on a 10" tablet in a rural area that only have GPRS/Edge connection, then I am sure that PCs and desktop development won't die that soon 

Actually, mobile market has already displaced desktop and in that sense, desktop development / PCs are becoming niche market. But in my opinion, mobile may not be necessarily limited to tablet or phone.

For instance, I have here sitting on my bench Raspberry PI 2 in box and Utilite Pro that already provide desktop-like experience with display/keyboard/mouse connected, while running desktop-like OS. Each of them is more powerful than a desktop PC that I had several years ago, while using only a couple of watts, if not less. I still keep the vision that eventually mobile/embedded devices will become a desktop PC replacement, where you just "dock" your smartphone and it becomes a desktop-like PC (and they are already working on something like that).

I think supporting mobile platforms in Delphi was a really smart move and IMHO actually the only thing that kept Delphi alive. I see no point in VCL, specifically because it is limited to Windows; in that sense, LCL has proven to be much more flexible - being very compatible with VCL yet being cross-platform.

Also, I don't share view with other people who think that Windows is and will remain predominant - at least every relative I know (and my wife has eleven brothers, some with grandchildren, so make your math) and people from professional/scientific area that I work with, were quite unhappy with Windows 8 and don't like Windows 10 either; moving to different platforms, including Android tablets, iPads, Macs and/or Linux has been predominant lately. I myself, a long die-hard Windows user for over 25 years (since Windows 3), who never particularly liked Linux, have finally switched to it and am not going back. So no, I'm not that optimistic about Windows, and as some suggested to support this platform in Delphi exclusively, throwing away cross-platform, would essentially mean complete death for the product, even in absolutely unrealistic scenario where it would become open-source/free.

[sam707]

@ykot +++ yep excellent view


my team selfmade prototype has power supply issues but it is a phone and a desktop (emulation=more or less same capabilities than a dsk comp) keyboard (touchscreen) which can wifi any big flat screen having bluetooth..

http://forum.lazarus.freepascal.org/index.php/topic,29688.msg188181.html#msg188181

the future is there.. no more desktop pc, they are already a niche... welcome to the desktop emuphone dockd in the cloud

quote from me earlier on the above link

"Future = only geekos, and programmers like us are gona own a desktop computer, that will become a "niche" (little part of the market) maybe 15 ... then few years after 10% of the market

while
everybody (from 10 to 77y old) is gona own a "pocket" device (tablets, phones) with something like bluetooth++ and capabilities to play games, stream movies on a big TV (like mp3 players actually do and replaced vynils, walkman, CD advantageously).. that will become the biggest part of the market..

these machines .. Google Android already have a hand on them (SO 90% LINUX based)"

[skalogryz]

Could anyone please explain why Mobile and Desktop development are considered different?
It used to be different 5 years ago, when mobile devices were not that powerful.
Mobile devices did grew in power since and are likely to gain some more.

Also, an ability to plug a mobile device to a bigger monitor and/keyboards turns it into a Desktop.

So for a software, what is the exact difference between Mobile and Desktop? screen resolution?

Infact, when the difference between mobile/desktop is blurry, I'd say that mobile platform actually saved Desktop platform, from being consumed by web applications.

[sam707]

that is WHY dear @skalogryz microsoft is trying to kinda unify its OS(es) WinCE merged into win NT = windows 10 minus ugly icons ... but too late i guess we'll see... no company is eternal, 1 or 2 badmoves and.... ooops

[BeniBela]

So for a software, what is the exact difference between Mobile and Desktop? screen resolution?

Touch screen

Another GUI interface that needs to be supported. Laz's customdrawn looks complete crap there.

Higher screen resolutions (smaller but with higher density)

Lower amount of RAM

that is WHY dear @skalogryz microsoft is trying to kinda unify its OS(es) WinCE merged into win NT = windows 10 minus ugly icons ... but too late i guess we'll see... no company is eternal, 1 or 2 badmoves and.... ooops

I never understood why the new Windows phones do not run WinCE programs

[skalogryz]

that is WHY dear @skalogryz microsoft is trying to kinda unify its OS(es) WinCE merged into win NT = windows 10 minus ugly icons ... but too late i guess we'll see... no company is eternal, 1 or 2 badmoves and.... ooops

Just like Apple promised OSX apps on iPad (with iOS).

Touch screen
Another GUI interface that needs to be supported. Laz's customdrawn looks complete crap there.
Lower amount of RAM

New monitors are coming with touchscreen for both laptops and desktops.
Besides, if a mobile devices is plugged into a computer with a keyboard and a mouse. It's a desktop.
And memory will grows too.


Is Raspberry PI a mobile? a desktop or a server platform?

[tk]

But in my opinion, mobile may not be necessarily limited to tablet or phone.

Yeah, I think every laptop is perfectly mobile. And recently I've seen a guy carrying an old desktop computer outside on the street. So even those can be mobile if you are strong enough

I also think "desktop" won't die that soon. Maybe some web statistics are now higher for mobiles (it could be even because of me as I browse more from my phone than from my "desktop"), but every company where I have worked so far used "desktop" computers with Windows for everything (one exception: some developers used Linux for embedded linux development).

[BobS]

It seems the desktop market is becoming limited mostly to gamers.  I defy any mobile device to match my 4.2GHz i7 x99 platform with NVidia 980ti (and room for more).  But really my "old" surface pro can do pretty much anything except certain games and the newer ones could probably handle my 4x games (just too slow on the original pro) just not the graphically intense games.  And the new Surface Pro Book I gather has a real graphics processor (and a huge price tag ) which is the other problem I can still build a more powerful desktop system for far less...mobility price in the high end is still way too high.   Since I only use the pro in desktop mode does that mean it's actually a mobile desktop?

I've personally never had a use for smart phones (I don't travel), but may be forced too since they are so popular.  I hoping Lazarus/FPC will give me a good start with these.

On topic: I gave up on Delphi long ago when the prices went crazy.  Hope this new company thinks more along the lines of the original Borland in terms of price.  But Lazarus/FPC have come a long way and so far I haven't hit any unsurmountable road blocks...though FPC 3.1.1 looks interesting just wish we could fast forward it a bit .

[BobS]

As I remember the original Turbo Pascal was $50 in today's terms that's about $110.  So how about the everything included Delphi package being around $200-$250?  Seems like there might be a lot more purchasers at that kind of pricing.  But then who am I to say I've been known to actually give away code free...after all isn't that what "free market" means?

[jack616]

I bought into Delphi after trying Delphi-3 from a free magazine release (I bought Delphi Client-Server at around 2500 GBP at the time I think)

I'd be happy to hand over some cash if it had been developed more than simply cosmetically or to just make
it compatible with newer systems.

I'm not at all convinced what either lazarus (not suprising - no offence meant) or the commercial releases
since actually provide any real advance over D3.
It seems wheel re-invention is all that ever happens.
It may be thats just because of the applications I do are of a sort - but I don't think so.
Many years of not much real advance it seems to me.

 

[HeavyUser]

after all isn't that what "free market" means?

In what planet? If you are not trolling then you are grossly under educated. Try reading a book on communism or capitalism to find out what free market refers to. Any way today moto is leave free or die old its up to you.

[rvk]

after all isn't that what "free market" means?

In what planet?

You should quote the complete sentence:

But then who am I to say I've been known to actually give away code free...after all isn't that what "free market" means?

The fact BobS gives his code away for free and that is completely his choice. That's what a "free market" means.

A free market is a market economy system in which the prices for goods and services are set freely by consent between vendors and consumers, in which the laws and forces of supply and demand are free from any intervention by a government, price-setting monopoly, or other authority.

So... Embarcadero is also completely free in determining its price for its products. I don't see BobS arguing that. He knows we live with a "free market"-economy.

Although I do agree, if they lower their price-range, they would sell a lot more. But it's up to their marketing department to calculate if it would bring in more profit.

[BobS]

after all isn't that what "free market" means?

In what planet? If you are not trolling then you are grossly under educated. Try reading a book on communism or capitalism to find out what free market refers to. Any way today moto is leave free or die old its up to you.

There's this modern invention it's called humor.

[ykot]

To jack616 : If you are stuck at D3 and keep that point of view, then I'm sorry, but it sounds like you are just being ignorant on purpose. I believe, in fact, quite the opposite: I'm actually amazed on how far languages and development IDEs have gone, and sometimes miss good old DOS days, where you had full control of everything and many things were so simple...

Although I do agree, if they lower their price-range, they would sell a lot more. But it's up to their marketing department to calculate if it would bring in more profit.

I've seen many posts like this and I'd probably say the same, but I think targeting hobbyist people with low price range at this point for Embarcadero would be a futile business, especially when there are free tools like FreePascal / Lazarus. Embarcadero's typical clients are large enterprises with big budget, where the price of product may actually be considered too cheap. Embarcadero's Delphi face fierce competitors with products such as Xamarin, which as you can see, may appear as pretty expensive. In fact, you'd be surprised to know some of Embarcadero's clients, being big and well-known companies from very different industries, products and services of which you likely have used before or maybe even using right now.

[BobS]

Oh and RVK you do under stand a person can wish for a thing to happen but not expect it.  Nowhere did I say the new owner's have to listen to me, I think maybe you drank a little too much coffee.  The point is a new owner might be a good time to reevaluate prices...they might increase them, keep them same, lower then somewhat or as I indicated in my post maybe they will go back to the roots of Borland when they made good tools at an affordable price for most.  There's an old saying "Hope springs eternal". 
You say Embarkadero can set the price, well I hope not since the point of the OP is they sold it.