George Kirkwood has been working with the programming language ever since Delphi 1. His application (SiteZilla) showcase entry was an excellent addition to the Delphi 26th Showcase Challenge and we exclusively asked him about how he works with Delphi. Take a look at his SiteZilla website for further knowledge about his application. 
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When did you start using RAD Studio/Delphi and have long have you been using it?
I’ve been using Delphi since version 1. We previously created applications in Visual Basic, but as soon as Delphi came along we jumped ship and abandoned all VB code.
What was it like building software before you had RAD Studio/Delphi?
We had MS-DOS based character interfaces. Then VB came along and we could design more visual applications for Microsoft Windows. Connecting to databases with VB wasn’t exactly straightforward, and the choice of databases was limited. Delphi changed all of this.
How did RAD Studio/Delphi help you create your showcase application?
The app needed to work on multiple platforms, so as an existing Delphi developer it was a simple decision to make to go with Delphi and FireMonkey. Although there was still a lot to learn, we could re-use a lot of the existing code so this gave us an advantage in getting started. Our development time for this app from concept to delivery was achieved extremely quickly.
What made RAD Studio/Delphi stand out from other options?
The cross platform write once, run anywhere ability was a big plus for us. It also helped our customers in being able to provide the same app, with the same layouts and interfaces, on all devices.
What made you happiest about working with RAD Studio/Delphi?
Being able to utilise nearly 30 years of experience to create solutions quickly. The familiarity of the IDE, code etc., when developing for other platforms made life a lot easier. I didn’t have to learn Android Studio, Objective C or the myriad of ways in which you had to do certain tasks on each platform.
What have you been able to achieve through using RAD Studio/Delphi to create your showcase application?
We’ve utilised push messaging, GPS location and offline data storage. Some of this would have been difficult with the platform specific IDEs. The app was delivered from concept to production ready in less than 6 weeks.
What are some future plans for your showcase application?
We plan to add more features, utilize new technologies and device capabilities and ensure compatibility with every device our customers use.
Thank you, George! Click the link below to view his showcase entry.