[fpc-pascal] opendelphi.org

[Marco van de Voort]

> On Thursday 16 March 2006 04:17, Bisma Jayadi wrote:
> 
> > IMO, .Net is just a bussiness buzz from M$ to attract their customers
> > and prevent them from switching to Un*x systems. Speaking
> > technically, I saw nothing new in the .Net technology. It's just a
> > combination of Java (on the system architecture) and Delphi
> > technology (on the system language), with extra resource requirements
> > as the consequences. :p
> 
> Frankly, all that stuff is still early 80s technology at best. Back then 
> they just hadn't the computing power to actually do it.
> 
> Information technology hasn't changed too much since then. They just 
> invented a lot of new TLAs[0]. The only question is who has the better 
> sales people hired.

While I'm not a .NET lover  (I wrote the FPC section on .NET), but while
we all know that .NET is at best M$'s copy of Java, that doesn't mean that
.NET is not a danger:

- it is reasonably well implemented and integrated.
- the framework is huge. This is more important than it seems. Less
	components to buy, more people using a standarised set of
	components. It has its attraction.
- Managers still believe in managed languages, and might for some time to
come
- training and sales
	- About each and other shrinkwrap development tools vendor is dead or nearly
		dead.  The few left are into .NET and M$ can easily keep
		them at arms length technically forever
	- Microsoft can also keep them at arms length on price forever
		 (with VS being coveniently priced
	      at 3/4 of the corresponding but poorer Delphi version) forever
        - Microsoft hardly has to do sales anyway. As OS and Office vendor
	  it already has a foot in the door. Strategic developers and 
  	educational  institutions are given licenses often near free
	- Also the massive MS training operations automatically generate
	  MS developer tools sales.

IMHO it is less .NET itself, but the alarming conversion rates of businesses
to MS tools (and that is often not a technical choice).

(Oh, and the fact that memory prices have sunk much lately also doesn't
propel my enthusiasm for .NET)