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.
If I remember correctly, you need to renew your “right to use” next year or the year after, and cough up another couple of thousand for VS.Net… Borland will not charge you again, until you decide to upgrade again. So, depending on the time you plan to use the IDE of your choice, D2005 might still be cheaper.
I have no clue what problems you are having with D2005, but on my system, it is pretty stable. Yes, it takes a bit longer to load (compared to VS) when you have all options/packages enabled, but with limited packages to be loaded (using Delphi Config Manager – http://www.alphalink.com.au/~jed/dcm.htm) , it loads pretty quick.
J.
Nope. You won’t get new(er) versions of the products included in the MSDN subscription, but you have the perpetual right-to-use of what you have. Period.
Mind you, I love Delphi. I just don’t like the direction Borland is heading with Delphi2005. It tries to resemble Visual Studio (hence the new layout), but it doesn’t work like VS. I tries to give you .NET, but not quite. Give me a proper, enhanced IDE with Pascal.NET, and I’m sold. But they’re not there yet.
I Luuurv the new Delphi 2005. Even using it on existing Win32
code I am working at least 20% faster. You need a large
monitor to use the docked panel layout though.
I think Borland need their own designers for Winforms
and CF. This will give a more consistent look and feel
across personalities.
Whilst working in C# rewriting some delphi code
there are many things about Delphi and the VCL
that I wish were there.
Can’t agree with you more. We (as I may speak for other Delphi-developers as well) like/love Delphi BECAUSE it is different. If we liked VS(.NET) we would have learned C/C++/C#, now wouldn’t we?