Stand up and be counted
How many Delphi programmers are there? Where and how is
Delphi used? And how is its reputation spread?
Last week I had an interesting conversation with a British
friend. I learned that a major Formula 1 car-racing team uses
Delphi for collecting and monitoring data about vehicles
during races. I also learned that NASA uses Delphi. In
addition to programs mentioned in a case study on Inprise's Web site, I've been
told of many impressive uses of Delphi. For example, the first
astronaut ever to vote from space did so using a Delphi
application. Dare I describe Delphi as "intergalactic"? Or
"out of this world"?
From shareware to utilities to the Web
I prepare the HTML pages of my Web site using HomeSite 4, I
upload files with Leach FTP, and I compare directories of my
computers with Beyond Compare. What do these programs have
in common? They are written in Delphi, like thousands of other
programs from shareware to utilities.
Ordinarily, different development tools have been evaluated
in terms of the numbers of programmers using them. Could the
tools be evaluated by checking the products built with them
instead? Delphi-produced applications are literally
everywhere, and they work great. Of course Delphi fans tend to
use tools built with Delphi, as you can see from the many
postings on the newsgroups. Delphi's use extends far beyond
this faction, however.
Delphi programs are flourishing on the Web. From HTML
editors to newsgroup clients to mail managers, a lot of these
programs have been written in Delphi -- thanks to the complete
support of Internet protocols using built-in or third-party
components. Delphi developers distribute small applications
and they don't have to install DLLs and ActiveX components.
Add to this the speed of Delphi programs, and you understand
why Delphi is heavily used for this type of development.
Spreading the good news
How do you tell if a program has been written in Delphi?
Borland has thought about this, trying to promote the
development tool through the resulting programs. On the Delphi
section of Borland's Web site, there are specific logos to be
used voluntarily in Delphi applications and Delphi-powered Web
sites. This is part of the "Stand up and be Counted" initiative. However, none of the programs
mentioned above clearly shows that it has been built with
Delphi. This is certainly unfortunate.
One solution is the Powered by Delphi campaign hosted on
Richey's Delphi-Box. The campaign aims to "show the world (and
its software managers) which great products are realizable
with this tool." Other Delphi sites host similar bitmaps and
promote the same idea.
A group of German developers has even started a Web ring for software powered by Delphi --
another interesting initiative, though some lack of
coordination is evident.
Delphi programmers are often both proud of the tool they
use and eager to promote it. This passion for the tool
contributes to what I called the Cult of Delphi in my first Developer
News article, and it seems to be shared by most Delphi
developers.
Power in numbers
Borland marketing also tracks some of the major
applications written in Delphi by or for large companies,
producing countless case
studies. Actually I have counted them: there are 53
studies of Delphi applications built in the most diverse
countries and situations. The results of these studies can be
used to promote the product, as in the case of the AutoByTel poster indicating that the company
used Delphi to build its Web site.
Many things blur the picture when we try to make clear
comparisons of Delphi to other development tools.
Microsoft's case study of an Italian home banking system is
one example. Though first built with Microsoft technology, the
system was later partially rebuilt with Delphi to correct
architectural faults (too many ActiveX controls) and other
technical problems. The case study was prominently displayed
(on both MSDN and Microsoft sites) long after the company had
rewritten the system with the competing tool.
Speaking of counting developers, there is a nice initiative
on Deja.com Compilers rating. Delphi currently
rates highest, not because it has more votes (though it
does) but because the average Delphi vote is so much more
favorable than the average vote for any other tool. I wonder
what will happen if Microsoft pushes die-hard Visual Basic
developers to the Deja.com site. This rating is far from a
scientific study, but it shows that Delphi developers, on
average, like the product they use better than any other group
likes theirs.
My feeling is that Delphi is a subterranean tool. Many
people use it but it gets almost no press coverage because of
the limited marketing = behind it. Ethical or not, you get far
more press coverage if your company also buys a good amount of
advertising. From the first, Delphi's good reputation has
spread mainly by word of mouth -- as Inprise seems to
acknowledge on its "Stand up and Be Counted" page. The
existence of underground information and enthusiasm is a good
reason for Borland to listen to its customers (including the
small shops) even more than it has in the past.
Lacking numbers, my argument could be considered mere
speculation, but the fact remains that Delphi is actually much
more widely used than its technical press coverage would
imply. Otherwise, how could a Delphi book be among Amazon's best programming sellers last week?
Originally written for InPublishing LLC for publication by Inprise Corp. Copyright 1999 Inprise Corp.
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