Hi, Steve.  Your msg and your logic hit all the right spots.  It felt like a 
pleasant cool breeze of rationality I haven't felt in a while.  
*** Quoting Steve Batson from a message to Louis Rizzuto ***
SB> Delphi...but I think a pascalprogrammer can pick up Delphi quickly if 
SB> the spend some time up front getting some of the Visual Programming 
SB> basics down such as using forms, controls, events, properties, etc.
Yes, I know you are right.  It likely is my best hope and Java is totaly 
unknown for me.  I do have 12 years of TP under my belt - I just haven't been 
able to overcome the seeming blizzard of complexity built into Delphi - the 
blizzard of information and trying to find out what will do what in trying to 
translate the 12 years I have put into my TP DOS based database apps.  
 
It is not just that blizzard of information that is getting me upset and 
keeping me from thinking clearly.  My apps is a database apps - that means I 
need a database engine that has more capacity then what seems to be available 
out there.  I think I was hoping that Delphi would have a lot more defaults 
built-in that would help me cut this development time of 12 years(well 8 
years of implementation) to a one or two man-years period.
 
The other thing that bothers me is load times for the executables and the 
access times have to be acceptable.  I worry that I will find - when I have 
completed my Delphi version it will be as slow as molasses - and virtually 
useless as a product.  I can't figure out how to get some sort of preview of 
the the final results will be if I stick with a DElphi approach.
 
I am hearing stuff on the Delphi Internet newsgroups - here and there - that 
while Delphi proveds a lot of supportive stuff for remote databases the 
support for stand alone databases - like mine - are much weaker.  I dont' 
understand what that means and I don't want to find out two years from now 
what this means.
 
SB> will be able to make your final decisions on what to do. I think it 
SB> comes down to how much non Windows 95/NT business you are and will be 
SB> doing. As time goes on, the MS products will likely become less DOS 
SB> compatible, so I don'tknow if DOS apps are the right choice though. 
SB> If most of your customers are using DOS or Windows based machines, 
SB> Delphi seems like a good direction. If you have a large Non windows 
SB> based market, then maybe DOS for now and Java down the road as you 
SB> suggested. I would suspect that most of the OS makers will eventually 
SB> stop worrying about DOS compatiblity as time goes on, so you'll still 
SB> have to deal with that.
Yes I know.  I just don't know how much time I have between now and then.  I 
haven't published yet so I have no customer base and I may not be able to get 
a customer base the way Windows owners think.  If I could get a good customer 
base I might be able to afford what I need to get this apps turned into a Win 
based apps - maybe.
 
I am squarely in between nowhere.  I think about Java and what it will do to 
the market and when.  If Java turns out to be real competiton to Windows in a 
year and I am in the middle of my Delphi effort - then what?  Things are 
moving faster then I can think them thru - and the what if's are driving me 
batty.
 
I could have banged this thing out in maybe 6 months or one year using 
something like dBASE or Paradox 11 years ago.  I feel stupid and helpless.
SB> Delphi seems like a good direction. If you have a large Non windows 
SB> based market, then maybe DOS for now and Java down the road as you 
SB> suggested. I would suspect that most of the OS makers will eventually 
I don't have much choice.  I am committed to DOS right now.
 
SB> suggested. I would suspect that most of the OS makers will eventually 
SB> stop worrying about DOS compatiblity as time goes on, so you'll still 
SB> have to deal with that.
 
Right, but when?  The only compensation I have now is that DOS apps run on 
everything and that gives my apps a greater market but a thinner market in 
terms of how much I get out of each market - if that makes sense.
 
If my apps catches on then all this is so much water under the bridge.  I 
will have the money I need to do a good job for all the platforms.  I don't 
want to switch to a form of my apps that will run on only Win and leave my 
other customers stranded - it is just not right to do that.  I will not do 
something that screws people - it is un-ethical IMHO.
SB> It's a tough decision, and I think the jury is still out on Java, so 
SB> we'll have to see.
SB> I think my main point here, is don't give up on Delphi. Because it's 
SB> pascal based, you can probably do the quickest port to it than 
SB> anything else with the smallest amount of pain.
I know that is rationale but the feeling of betrayal is still too strong.  
Thanks much for hanging in there with me Steve and trying to help me think 
thru this mess I find myself in.
 
I hope people here can learn something from this discussion that will help 
them to avoid the pitfalls I have fallen into.
 
Regards, -=Lou =-
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