Post by George de la TorreHi Paul,
"Second, Delphi is more of a "programming" religion. Java is more of an
Enterprise language/platform used to produce Enterprise Application
structure."
So, true, I've been a Delphi developer since version 1, but now working
exclusively with J2EE. I'm glad to hang on to Borland with JBuilder but
can't no longer attend Borcon. Been going to Borcon since Borlando, too
bad the Java tracks are useless - won't be going to Borcon anymore.
Yes, I hope folks do not take this the wrong way :). What I meant by this is
that the Delphi IDE/language has so captivated people to the extent that
many are no longer evaluating Delphi in the larger scheme of things, but
rather are devotees to the degree that if Delphi does not provide the best
path for a particular application need, many refuse to use or see anything
else. This is not unusual and restricted to Delphi alone however. It can
and does happen to anything that once has great prominence and now is
threatened. It could happen and probably will to Java one day as well.
There may be some Java "religious" folks as well. However, most Java people
came from the C/C++ or something else language world, or the Unix world,
where tools are an end to a means, due to the availability of many
divergent toolsets, especially in the Unix world.
To these Java developers, Java the language and Java the platform, is a
toolset that helps them accomplish certain tasks better than anything else.
This is especially true in XPlatform and Network centric work. It is not
then so much of a religion as it is a tool for fulfilling particular needs.
On top of this, many Java developers are not tied to any particular sect
(aka IBM, Sun, or Open Source Java), but use what is best. We see many
using Eclipse and SWT verses Swing and Net Beans, just as we see many using
JBuilder and/or Oracle JDeveloper, or even XEmacs, or JEdit to produce
standard and non standard JCP applications.
Frameworks too vary, from JSF and JSTL to Open Source Hibernate, Struts,
etc. So it is not a one IDE fits all type scenario, nor a Sun only
framework. Much more difficult to have a common repository for praise in
the Java world, than in the Delphi world. :) I would say that the Java
world is more akin to the C/C++ world as far as divergence of opinion and
perhaps devotion.
Post by George de la TorreAlthough you can't blame Borland, the Delphi community is made of
Microsoft disciples with an alternate view of development tools.
That is true to a large degree. Some have migrated however (aka Kylix
users), but they still want their Delphi language and IDE. Nothing wrong
with that and I am not arguing against either. Usage, however, of both
Delphi and Kylix combined, is no where near that of Java nor MS.NET/C# for
new application development.
When I worked with Win32 almost exclusively I much preferred Delphi and
Borland's CBuilder to anything else. Not because there were not others, but
because these tools worked the best. I did not choose the XPlatform
mandate, it more or less chose me ;-). That is why I chose Java, not
because I found it easier nor better than what I had been using, but
because I could do the job with Java (xplatform), which is what my
requirements became. Neither Delphi nor BCB could fulfill the role, so it
was foolish for me to insist on wishing to use these tools and these only.
Later, as Web centric programming tasks were given to me, I found that Java
was actually better in these areas than Delphi or C++ in general. Easier,
more efficient, and easier to work with, period. Yes, there was a learning
curve, not that steep, and sure there were some things I missed in Delphi
and BCB, and I still do. I found JBuilder closer than anything else to my
Delphi and BCB experiences and still find it the best overall Java IDE.
Borland knows IDEs better than anyone else, IMHO.
Post by George de la TorreFor me, Delphi was the only reason I worked with Microsoft Windows at all.
Hmm, I do not know if that was my reason or not :).
It probably had something to do with my total focus with MS Windows, early
on. More than likely though, it had more to do with my venturing away from
my "comfort zone".
In other words, it had more to do with my reservations about learning
something totally foreign to me. I am willing to bet others who want to
stick with what they know, are experiencing a "fear factor" as well. It is
extremely difficult to go from something you know intimately to something
entirely different. Very unsettling to go from advanced programmer to
novice apprentice. Couple this with job security concerns and market demand
and I can easily understand why some are fighting tooth and nail to hang
on.
I can easily recall that I almost experienced a panic attack when I had to
do AM programming on OS/2 after three months on a job, with no prior
training. I was terrified at having to go to a 3270 emulator and use the
TSO editor to look for Cobol and JCL files. This isn't what I was hired
for. Is my job now in jeopardy?
No one likes to go from a vital necessity to a "bottom of the totem pole"
type position. That is why I feel it so important to know something about
what the majority of the industry is using. That way, you are not faced
with the dilemma of "fear, uncertainty, and doubt". Of course no one can
know everything, but try telling that to some HR departments :)
Employers certainly do not make this easier either, since many think you
should be an expert in everything these days. Usually I tell people who
want to know if someone or myself is an expert, exactly what an expert is?
I have yet to meet one :)
Java is huge, can be extremely complex, and sometimes simply overwhelming.
Whereas Delphi covered a part of the world, Java covers the world. There
can be great comfort in knowing that I can program for nearly any device in
the world, but at the sametime, it can become profusely overwhelming in its
scope and in its complexity.
Delphi is a great tool and superb IDE. I am forced, however, to realize it
has an uncertain future in the new world of NET and Java.
I do wish Delphi and those who use it, the best. My personal advise (for
what it is worth), would be that the Delphi programmer not neglect to learn
something else as well;-- something that has more industry wide appeal.
What that would be, would depend upon what type of shop you are in and what
your business requirements are. I am not suggesting that they abandon
Delphi altogether either. For some requirements, it may be just the ticket
to application/utility success. But I would be fearful to keep all of my
eggs in that one basket, as well.
Finally, we still do some Delphi work, primarily for maintaining previously
written applications. Sometimes, I find myself wanting a Java like Delphi
and at other times, a Delphi like Java. Both are good tools, but I am
forced to realize that one has a brighter future than the other. The IT
world changes and if we wish to continue to work in it, we must learn to
change as well. Sometimes these changes are necessary, sometimes they are
market only driven. Either way, the single lowly programmer has little
control. :)
Have a good one!!