This morning I got in my mail a Google Alert with a link to an MSDN page providing Visual Studio Information for Borland Delphi Developers. Needless to say this is meant to suggest developers to switch to Visual Studio, but there is interesting information in the page.

For example, the first question (1) relates to running existing Delphi Win32 applications on future versions of Windows. Well, the question wording in more subtle and doesn't mention Win32, but this is what they mean. Microsoft response is that "both COM and the .NET Framework are supported parts of the overall Windows platform and will be supported for the foreseeable future, ensuring your Borland Delphi applications continue to operate". Odd they mention COM many times and never Win32. Or maybe they fear VB developers will switch back?

In the same first question they (implicitly) mention that Delphi Win32 programmers (as any other programmers not using Microsoft tools but  "using any tool they choose") as developers with "creativity and ingenuity". You sure? Is that only because they don't trust MS marketing?

In question 3, MS suggests developers using "Borland Delphi to build data driven Windows applications rapidly" to switch to Visual Basic (for .NET), claiming that "Visual Basic is the right language". Well, first it doesn't support Win32, so it doesn't address all developers needs. Second, I see more Delphi developers switching to C#, if they have/choose to use Visual Studio.

They go on promoting their new team support (ALM) capabilities, suggesting Borland C++ Builder developers to move to Visual C++ (with zero code compatibility, they fail to notice). Then comes an interesting question (7):"I used the Java language support within Borland Delphi, is there anything Microsoft offers here?" This is very interesting. I wasn't aware JBuilder was part of Delphi, or it is not? The anser is odd anyway, as MS claims they support a "Java language environment" with a tool that doens't target "Sun Java Runtime".

If you also heard that "MS offers tools for building applications on mobile devices", they certainly haven't heard that Delphi 2006 has some support for them as well, even if limited. The final question is about Anders Hejlsberg, and MS sort of implies he moved on from Delphi to newer stuff (a "language known as C#") and develoeprs should follow him. Of course they don't realize how much of the Delphi approach is there in :NET and so how good Delphi is to build .NET applications... but that's a different story.