Delphi et al
AI might solve the Delphi Jobs drought, or start a new golden age?
Delphi Enhanced by AI
Using Gemini and Claude AI, I feel different.
“Convert this VCL component to FMX.”
“Can you look for memory leaks in this piece of code?”
“Can you re-do this code, so it's less verbose?”
“Can you convert this C# code to Delphi?”
Lifelong enemies
Being an employer is putting yourself in harm’s way. Most Delphi developers are grifters - scammers fine-tuned to treat employers like cattle - disrespecting IP, putting code they have done for sale, uploading employer-bought VCLs to pirate sites, then slander and defame their employers.
The Embarcadero newsgroup section Delphi Jobs don’t allow comments, so they do the next best thing - posting to Delphi-off-topic and post rubbish about their employers. Big employers like Fafel, CyberCoders and many have their reputations smeared.
In other communities - C#, Rust and Go community - there is a sense of helpfulness, community, and not the kind of evil and meanness that the Delphi spirit possesses.
Et Al
As the Delphi diaspora shrinks, there is concern about the next generation of Delphi - are there sufficiently enough Delphi developers - or Delphi vultures waiting for the next kill?
AI has come a long way. From the useless chatbot, or pre-canned message prompter, or glorified code-generator utility, there are curious videos of someone converting Figma to Delphi with stunning accuracy, creating UIs in record time and many more of unbelievable progress.
If you were to do Figma to Delphi, this would take weeks of work, and if the employee or developer is not skilled - be prepared for a huge bill, or somebody quitting because they can’t take it.
Porting from VCL to FMX, means months of work, and the drudgery makes a Delphi soul wonder for project completion.
Delphi Jobs?
AI means, Delphi developers are faced with an unenviable productivity. There is growth, hope and ability to do amazing things.
AI means, people moving from C#, and other languages to Delphi, can be quickly productive.
There’s now more Delphi job seekers than Delphi job postings. One bad hire can ruin your business. Career Builder states a bad hire can cost upwards of tens of thousands.
Photocredit: Delphi Praxis, Looking but not finding... - Job Opportunities / Coder for Hire - Delphi-PRAXiS [en]
AI may prevent the next bad hire. By the time Trump tariff hits, that Delphi developer's salary might be US$200,000 a year.
AI would free the common Delphi developers from drudgery and weariness.
The unprofitable Delphi servant would by now, be thrown out. I've asked in the C# and other communities the list of prior apps or open-source participation.
The average age of a Delphi developer is 30+, … and … having no apps developed, or participated in, shows how wicked and perverse Delphi community has become.
A common pressure tactic is to report piracy to leverage against the employer and cause a ruckus by demanding the licensing info of all the libraries brought.
It’s incredible to see AI create custom FMX grid layouts, negating the need to license, and — these custom components are better than the licensed ones.
You might state - AI generated FMX components are rip-offs from licensed libraries. How many Delphi vendors make FMX components and what polish and care do they give, other than demanding money every year?
If business owners use AI - to create components, do UI work, help finish apps, a new golden age of Delphi may be around the corner.