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That is not true! Installations are not limited. The restriction is that you can run multiple instances of the same IDE version (10.2 and 10.3 are different versions) on up to three different machines at the same time. That is you can run Delphi 10.3 on the same machine (as many as it can cope with) and still start Delphi 10..3 on two more VMs or physical machines, where each can run multiple instances. Together with that you can run Delphi 10.2 instances on up to three different machines, be it the a same as above or others. You just have to make sure that all these machines can connect to the ELC Server and you are logged in at these machines with the same user name the license is bound to (you can change that yourself in the ELC Server). My installations are spread over dozens of VMs and I never reached that 3-instance-limit.

That is not what can be read in that comment. I cannot see anything about licenses being invalidated or not being able to compile old code. Even the question does not imply that. It is only about downloading the setup files, isn't it? If my business were founded on the fact to be able to download old Delphi installation files I would do something wrong in the first place. I suggest to install old Delphi versions inside a VM and have a good backup strategy for those - like many people I know are already doing for years now. In case someone is worried about not being able to register a valid license later, the solution can be to convert the Named User license into a Network Named User license. That requires an ELC server installed somewhere in the local network, but it simplifies registrations a lot. License bumps are no longer necessary with that. Moving a Delphi installation to a new machine boils down to installing it and importing a slip file. My own situation covers quite some of your points. I have old software that has to be maintained (if at all) with old Delphi versions. Some of my customers are stuck with an old Delphi version, so I am regarding their projects. I see no problems in any of those. Even if Embarcadero would be hit by a comet, I would be able to work for plenty of years. No! If anyone would be affected there are ways to prepare for it and be safe. No problem and I think it is fair. There is plenty of other software where it is impossible to get old installation files now. I can still remember times when software was delivered in CD or even Floppy disks. We were used to make backup copies of those in case they will break and the vendor would charge for a replacement CD - if even offering that at all. One can do something similar for ISO images. Having that said, the other points are just meaningless.

While you have a valid subscription, convert your license to a "Network named user license" and install the Embarcadero License Center (server under e.g. Ubuntu on a virtual machine). Then you can have as many installations on your LAN as you want and even use several at the same time (there is a limit, but I haven't hit it yet). And you will never again need a "bump" either.

I have no issue with a limit on the time in which versions could be downloaded, but prior to the recent bump to installation counts, I learned the hard way that my venerable copy of D7 could not be installed as licensed, despite my having the installables and the license code. And I am sorry, but that's a bad policy. Back in the day, I used to license new releases whether I needed them or not, just to support a company I valued. Now we are asked to pay impressive license fees, and if we do not stay current, we lose the ability to reinstall old versions, which may occasionally be needed for one reason or another. And curiously, the mantra has been that developers don't understand marketing. Sorry, but that dog won't hunt. Any of us who have made our living through contract work or custom development certainly have hard earned knowledge of marketing. And as to marketing, any recent promotion of Delphi apart from embarcadero.com?

VKAutoShowMode variable. Set it to TVKAutoShowMode.Never when you don't want it to show. Change it back to TVKAutoShowMode.DefinedBySystem when you do.

I have created GitHub repository with code examples from my book Delphi Memory Management for Classic and ARC Compilers. It is still work in progress (there is plenty of code) and currently, it contains examples from Part 1 and Part 5. The rest is coming... https://github.com/dalijap/code-delphi-mm

Fun fact: you can omit the 3rd argument of Copy if you just want to cut from the beginning.