Embarcadero now has low-cost Starter Editions for hobbyists and micro ISVs

By Vasudev Ram

I like Delphi, though I haven't used it heavily (I've used Turbo Pascal quite a lot, though, much earlier). Sometimes in my free time, I write small tools in Delphi, like this digital clock that I wrote some months ago - in Turbo Delphi Explorer (TDE), a lightweight, free Delphi version, even for commercial use.

Unfortunately, a while after I first started using TDE, CodeGear discontinued support for it, so you can't get it now. One good thing about Turbo Delphi Explorer, apart from it being free, was that you could get both Win 32 and .NET versions of it, i.e. you could get versions that could compile code to native Win 32 .EXEs or to .NET bytecode. I had tried out both versions, and they both worked fairly well.

In July of 2008, Embarcadero Technologies acquired the Borland developer tools division (also called CodeGear).

As part of that acquisition, they now have Delphi and C++Builder, among other products.

Here is a list of some software written in Delphi, if you'd like to know what Delphi is capable of (you may have to scroll down in the Apture popup window, if you don't directly click the link instead):

Given the above background, I was interested to see this news, via the Embarcadero email newsletter that I subscribe to:

Embarcadero now has new low-cost Starter Editions designed for hobbyists, students, and micro ISVs

Excerpts from their newsletter:

[ In both the Embarcadero Developer Network (EDN) and the Embarcadero corporate site, you can find lots of information on former Borland/CodeGear development tools now being developed by Embarcadero. ]

[ Embarcadero is investing heavily in these products. Since acquiring them in 2008, we have revamped the tools from top to bottom and released three major versions including the latest RAD Studio XE, Delphi® XE, and C++Builder® XE releases. Some of the major innovations, additions, and improvements include:

- Full Unicode support throughout
- All-New REST-based DataSnap® with encryption and compression support (Delphi/C++ multi-tier/data middleware/app services)
- Full Windows® 7 support
- Amazon and Azure Cloud development
- Integrated Touch and Gesturing into the VCL framework
- Final Builder build automation
- Integrated Subversion change management
- And thousands of performance and feature improvements across the board
- Free access to older versions included with the latest XE license
- Introduced brand new low-cost Starter Editions designed for hobbyists, students, and micro ISVs

]

Here are some Delphi versions to check out:

Delphi XE Starter Edition

Delphi XE product editions

Free Trial of Delphi XE full version


- Vasudev Ram - Dancing Bison Enterprises

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