Hi Everyone Welcome back Robert!
How does the average software developer compete with the established companies like Microsoft ? Definitely clients want to see something when they spend their money on us. I've had to learn to make my applications a little more than just functional by getting in a graphic designer to help with interfaces. Whether I want to go the .NET route - time will tell. I'm still stuck to my VCL components and am in no hurry to change. I've started looking at Dev-C++ and wxWidgets to see what they have to offer for the move into the Linux GUI but I still have some way to go before I get comfortable with another language. Lets all face the facts - Borland got it right with Delphi and I know of no other platform (VCL) where so many components are available to developers! Its really like developers all over the world are working collectively on each others projects, even if you feel like the "lone programmer". We use each others components and therefore contribute to the common good. Even where it involves buying components for Delphi it still saves time on deploying the applications. My suggested solution is to support Lazarus and saturate Linux platforms with applications that we take for granted on the windows platform. I really like writing compact applications and frankly .NET doesn't do it for me yet. (I know the framework will be on the PC already - what happened to REAL programming) OR Delphi must go Open Source ??? Anyway guys - thats my five cents for today! Yours sincerely Andre van Zuydam Still using Delphi VCL! Robert Meek wrote: > Hi all, > Sorry I haven't been able to participate on the lists so > infrequently as of late. And thanx for the many personal well-wishes I > have received from so many members over the last couple months. I am > amazed my friends here have shown their support and care so much more > than those I've known locally since grade school! But I guess it's more > due to the fact that they are still living their lives nightly sopping > up beer at the firehouse trying to keep up Schuylkill County's > reputation as drinking more per capita than any other county in the > entire State of Pa., while I only show up for meetings anymore! > Although it's been tough getting back into my work I HAVE been > trying to create a different interface for XP and/or Vista unlike those > commonly available because most of the few small business clients I > still have loyal to me are constantly complaining that they want more > integration into the OS of the various solutions I offer them. > Especially for those that have upgraded to Vista, where Microsoft is > doing it's best to make it impossible for the lone programmer to get any > work because of their offering everything I used to provide with desktop > solutions for free! Basically, the only two programs I've sold in the > last year have no real visual UI of their own but simply get called and > work from the OS's menu systems. I wouldn't mind so much but even > business clients who should know better don't like paying for something > they can't see no matter how well it works or what problems it solves > for them! > There was a well written but depressing article/editorial in a > freebie NET mag I read last month, ( the name escapes me at the moment > ), in which the writer compared guys like me to canaries in the old coal > mines, and how unless you can re-educate yourself to work using NET as > part of a team, but specializing yourself in one particular area of the > target solution, it is impossible to make a living anymore. > I never made a living or really tried to as programming has > always been more of a sideline for me having started so late, but I used > to at least make it pay for itself and used it as an additional asset to > the services I provided my clients! > How are some of you that might work alone as I do been dealing > with such problems...or aren't you? > I've dallied about with VS and NET over the last two years, but > I must admit that I find Delphi much easier to work with and understand! > NET programming feels to me like cooking by recipe in place of > experimenting with your own creativity and finding how to make a dish > that tastes good. And its taking programming where the availability of > computing power has taken the game of chess...making it a worthless > endeavor unless your idea of fun is in crunching data! > Any comments? > > from Robert Meek dba "Tangentals Design" > e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Freelance Windows Programming for XP and Vista > Also proud to be a Moderator of the "Delphi-List" at elists.org > > "Reality cannot be explained...only enjoyed or endured as your current > perspective allows!" > > > __________________________________________________ > Delphi-Talk mailing list -> Delphi-Talk@elists.org > http://www.elists.org/mailman/listinfo/delphi-talk > __________________________________________________ Delphi-Talk mailing list -> Delphi-Talk@elists.org http://www.elists.org/mailman/listinfo/delphi-talk
