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copied!<p>Delphi or C++ Builder - it's a difficult choice!</p> <p>As you're aware, they're basically very similar, from the IDE and RAD point of view.</p> <p>The pros and cons of each - irrespective of background - are a bit like this. Both share a great 2-way RAD form designer and framework (VCL) that are ideal for native Windows development.</p> <p><strong>Delphi:</strong></p> <ul> <li>FOR: Large, active, enthusiastic community</li> <li>FOR: Delphi 2009 is the best version for many years</li> <li>FOR: Delphi "units" make C source/header file pairs seem archaic</li> <li>AGAINST: No automatic destruction as objects leave scope, hence lots of 'finally's in your code</li> <li>AGAINST: Language can be 'wordy', which is a matter of taste </li> <li>AGAINST: Using third-party DLL's or libraries in other languages (esp. C) requires Delphi header files to be written</li> </ul> <p><strong>C++Builder</strong></p> <ul> <li>FOR: C++Builder 2009 is probably the best version ever</li> <li>FOR: RAII idiom simplifies memory management hugely</li> <li>FOR: Templates are incredibly useful and powerful, even if the C++Builder implementation has some bugs with them.</li> <li>FOR: Support for BOOST and other modern template-based libraries (even though the Boost support is not 100%)</li> <li>FOR: Great interop with Delphi means most Delphi components can easily be used.</li> <li>FOR: Easy to use with third-part DLLs/libraries with C/C++ headers.</li> <li>FOR: C++ may look better on a CV than Delphi. </li> <li>AGAINST: CB2009 is "unicode only" - the implications of this for code portability are different and less well thought-out than for Delphi</li> <li>AGAINST: C++Builder user-base is much smaller than Delphi. Maybe 20% or less.</li> <li>AGAINST: Borland/Inprise nearly killed BCB a few years ago, and it was only resurrected after major efforts from the community. (However, Codegear/Embarcadero commitment does seem impressive)</li> <li>AGAINST: C++Builder is not top of the pile within Codegear. </li> <li>AGAINST: Third-party component vendors don't always understand/support C++Builder</li> </ul> <p>That's about it. Just to state my position, I'm a happy BCB2007/2009 user (since BCB5), and I also infrequently use Delphi. A few years back, I considered a switch from C++ to Delphi, but the lack of RAII idiom was the one thing that I found difficult to come to terms with.</p>

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