I used to love Delphi and was very impressed when Delphi 2 came out.
But Delphi has been skipping sideways ever since IMO. Never really improving in areas that has my interest.
The free version has gotten worse from what I understand, and the License is quite restrictive IMO.
I only program a little for fun, so I don't want to pay the steep price for Delphi,
But I don't want something that doesn't really work either.
Delphi trial versions doesn't really work because of limitations and restrictions IMO.
I never understood why Borland didn't make a reasonably priced single user version, without all the corporate junk, but one that supported multimedia, directX and OpenGL better. It could have been HUGE I think.
The latest couple of years I used Windows, I had stopped doing any programming altogether,
I felt like all the fun had gone out of it. MS was dominating the market completely, and I don't like their tools. ( Slow compilers, loads of bugs, hidden info you have to pay to get access to, zero innovation )
Still MS is the authority in the Windows World, so they can't be ignored.
Since I ported to Linux, and discovered Lazarus FPC, I have completely lost interest in Delphi and Windows.
I actually FEEL the freedom I heard "Linux Zealots" preaching about.
Maybe I'm even becoming a zealot myself, because I think the new scheme from MS about offering free programming tools, is to prevent people from using Linux compatible tools. Am I getting paranoid?
All in all, if you like Delphi, you can use it "as is".
Or if you like Lazarus, you can either use it "as is" or
Join in on improving it, and changing it so it better fits your needs.
The choice is yours...