SwitchBL8’s gebazel

This is another Delphi Architect vs MSDN Universal post. It was brought to my attention (mainly by this post) that MSDN Universal only gives you the right to use the software (for a period of time) and that you don’t own VS.NET and the other products.

Currently, I own Delphi 6 Enterprise. I bought the full product, and even with the Borcon price-reduction, it still had a hefty price tag. Now I find myself that I need to upgrade, because I own the software, and I am not entitled to use the latest and greatest. To be able to develop .NET with a Borland product, I need to buy something new. The upgrade is about $2300 (FP is $3500).

The full product of VS.NET Enterprise Architect costs about $2500. Apart from Object Pascal, it will give me the same .NET development environment that Delphi2005 gives me. It will give me a stable environment (Delphi2005 is slow and unstable on my system, and it gives me an unfinished feeling). It will give me Compact Framework. If we only want to address Win32, .NET has no meaning at all. So the development environment should have this flexibility. Delphi2005 does not have it.

So if I want to OWN the software, Microsoft gives me more bang for the buck.

Most developers have some sort of MSDN subscription. To test your software, you need multiple OS’s (Windows versions) for instance. Or several Office versions in the same Windows version. Or different browser versions. I bought VMWare Workstation just for that purpose. I can’t have 10 machines (moneywise and physical space wise) running different combinations of OS/Browser/Office just because I develop for the Windows.

If you have the choice: buying Delphi2005 with no support (that’s an optional product), with no CF, and with an unfinished IDE. Or buying MSDN Universal, that gives you VS.NET Ent Architect, All-Office and All-Windows and support what would you choose? Heck, working with Delphi6 is like putting on my gloves I had for years. Developing in Delphi2005 is hell. I can develop the same in VS.NET quicker and without less hassle, even without knowing C# that well, than I would in Delphi2005 in Pascal. It’s a shame.

I haven’t bought anything yet, but if a nice client (good hourrate and not too shortterm) comes along and Delphi did not change by then, I know what I will buy.

Thanks for listening.