On February 14, 1995, Delphi saw the day of Light! Wow!
When we think of 25 years, we think of big monumental or mega-moments that give us a chance to step-back and reflect over what has happened so far. Now I could start writing out a list of all the amazing things that I can do with Delphi like build fast native applications that are easy to understand, let me connect to and query my back-end in minutes, supports the Windows API (completely!) and requires minimal maintenance through the versions, but I won’t. Instead I’ll make this post more of a tribute to Delphi and what learning Delphi has meant to me.
I wasn’t an application developer or programmer when Delphi came out in 1995.
My first experience with Delphi didn’t start until much later, in 2007, when I received copies of both C++Builder and Delphi from my high school when I decided to take an Intro to Programming class.
While the class was geared towards learning C++, my teacher would always brag about this cool language Delphi (always having to remind us that he was not talking about the city, even though the references were lost on us all). In fact, the first workings of any programming that I learned was from a Windows application built using Delphi. He would teach us each module, then power up Delphi, show us how to complete our assignments and say “This was super easy to do, right? Now, do it in C++”. Perhaps, not the best way to instill enthusiasm for C++ into young minds, but none the less, I continued the learning process anyway. After that, Delphi would be a thought in the back of my mind for the next years.
I didn’t start working with and learning Delphi or GUI programming specifically until the XE series in college. I started working as a junior application developer for a small firm, where low and behold, they had Delphi as part of their services! I spent the next years learning and working on different projects for Visual C++ and Delphi before moving on to the next chapter where I started working for Embarcadero. Now I get to work with and talk to developers about Delphi, C++Builder and InterBase everyday.
I feel honored for the chance to say that it was because of Delphi (and those cool VCL apps I got to see) that I chose to continue using C++Builder and Delphi, decided to become a software engineer, and last, but not least, get a job at Embarcadero where I get to work with Delphi EVERYDAY!
So while I haven’t known Delphi for the entirety of its 25 awesome years, I plan to keep getting to know Delphi for the next 25 (at least)!