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Comment by raister | Hacker News Reader

Where exactly is Delphi being used nowadays?

A blog post listed some Delphi apps: https://jonlennartaasenden.wordpress.com/2014/11/06/famous-s...

On that list, I use WinRAR and BeyondCompare every day. I also see Skype but I think the client was rewritten in Electron/Javascript to be cross-platform Windows/Mac/Linux.

Not on that list is AcrylicDNS which I use as a DNS "firewall". The author provides Delphi source code for it: (https://mayakron.altervista.org/wikibase/show.php?id=Acrylic...)

The Dolphin emulator which is on the list is written in c++. Perhaps there once was a frontend in Delphi.

Mostly Windows desktop apps for specific verticals (seen many in insurance, finance etc) - albeit considered legacy.

I use it for Windows ISAPI dlls against various backend databases (mostly MS SQL Server).

The newer output however from this stack is from its cross platform and mobile features - Firemonkey (native UI and cross platform API wrapper). I haven’t used it yet but I have seen a few apps on AppStore and Play using them.

Firemonkey does not use native controls, it draws its own buttons and other controls.

FireMonkey has the ability to use native controls as an option:

http://docwiki.embarcadero.com/RADStudio/Rio/en/FireMonkey_N...

Thanks iOS and Windows only though, not macOS and Android.

Native Android controls:

http://docwiki.embarcadero.com/RADStudio/Rio/en/FireMonkey_N...

With more native Android controls coming in the future.

Nice.

Of course I mostly care about macOS. Unfortunately that's the area that Embarcadero appears to mostly ignore.

Sorry, my bad - you are 100% right. Firemonkey uses scalable vectors for UI. (It also uses native, but that's not what I had intended to say.)

No worries. It runs native, so your statement wasn't technically wrong. Just wanted to point out that it does still look and behave a bit different from using native controls. Although apparently that nowadays that depends on the host OS used.

I've seen it recently being used in industrial automation. The IDE is friendly to non-programmers, the generated binaries perform really well and the compilation times are very fast.

From my perspective, as a developer that uses more up-to-date tools, Delphi is not great, but it's not bad either.

I think if Delphi had been developed more it could still be the best windows desktop environment now.

My experience with Delphi-based Windows software is that they always load quickly and and most things are snappy, in contrast to most modern programs. I've always wondered if it's due the language itself, but then again modern programs run in managed environment. I guess if the same program is created using MFC they would be just as fast. Maybe if you don't have to deal with accessibility or internationalization it's possible to create such binaries in any compiled unmanaged language.

Another niche is control software for industrial/laboratory instruments. I know about FTIR spectroscopes, huge weaving machines or system that call you by number when you are at office, bank or post office.

Embarcadero has some Delphi testimonials on their website:

https://www.embarcadero.com/case-study

And the Delphi product page:

https://www.embarcadero.com/products/delphi

I'd take any marketing material with a grain of salt. Delphi was big 20 years ago and used in important projects. There are certainly stories to tell, doesn't mean it's relevant to the current decade.

Doesn't mean it's irrelevant either.

It does actually. Be wary of any system or company that has not migrated away. Delphi means very legacy and it's a career killer for any programmer.

The ecosystem had been on a strong decline for a while. The tools just to compile an application are incredibly expensive . Experienced developers have long left to other languages with more job prospects. New developers are not learning Delphi in university or anywhere.

Delphi was never 'big', it was merely different and had some interest from the 'Borland' name being attached to it. Now they're not called Borland noone gives a shit about delphi.

Nothing comes to mind developed in the last 20 years that's a good alternative to Delphi. Delphi lets you create commercial-grade software intended for a very small user base (less than 100). There's really nothing like it on the market. I imagine it's still used in many corporate in-house projects.

Niche/custom desktop applications.

Delphi was one of my first interactions with programming. It was a CAD/CAM desktop application. They are still around today, but when I left they were trying to switch to C#. I have not met a lot of people. Who even know what it is.

Broadcast radio automation.

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