Delphi Low-code No-code?

[Rick_Delphi 14]

The reason I started using Delphi was the RAD approach. Now with no-code low-code being new buzzwords, where does Delphi stand on that front?

[Anders Melander 1782]

4 hours ago, Rick_Delphi said:

Now with no-code low-code being new buzzwords

Again? What was old is new again - except my jokes.

[dummzeuch 1505]

11 hours ago, Rick_Delphi said:

The reason I started using Delphi was the RAD approach. Now with no-code low-code being new buzzwords, where does Delphi stand on that front?

Nobody kehrs ( https://images.app.goo.gl/jtQZNqxjkAh559Do9 )

• People, who don't know Delphi, will not touch it.
• People, who like Delphi will continue to use it
• People, who use Delphi but don't like it (any more) will continue to use it until they find an alternative.

Any new buzzword bullsh*t will not change that.

 

To translate:

low code = RAD

no code = does not exist

[mitch.terpak 5]

1 minute ago, dummzeuch said:

• People, who don't know Delphi, will not touch it.
• People, who like Delphi will continue to use it
• People, who use Delphi but don't like it (any more) will continue to use it until they find an alternative.

Delphi is fine, we have a huge code-base and if I had the resources I'd rewrite it in C#. The main gripe that makes it unbearable is the fact Delphi code compiled to Linux is sometimes up to 20x slower.

 

4 minutes ago, dummzeuch said:

low code = RAD

no code = does not exist

And no code could technically be visual programming no? (no idea if visual programming is done for anything serious except for Unreal Engine)

[Lars Fosdal 1792]

No code is in reality indeed a non-existing concept, however IBM App Connector Enterprise is a pretty impressive No/Low code tool, but it costs an arm and a leg. 
We've moved hundreds of integrations to IBM ACE and APIC. It scales well, security is not an afterthought, it supports a ton of protocols, integration mechanisms or data formats, and has proper CI/CD support. And... the GUI sucks, and the primary "lowcode" language is ESQL - which is IBM proprietary 😛

Price aside, still a better alternative than unproven No/Low code plugins for Delphi.

 

Personally, I'd prefer to do integrations in .NET/C#.  An abundance of tooling and libs, and runs on multiple platforms.

 

 

 

[Attila Kovacs 629]

For those who prefer designing an application visually rather than coding it, this could be useful.

 

 

[omnibrain 15]

In the end each tool has their uses. 2 years ago I had to quickly add a customer portal to our software. A customer of one of our customers wanted to be able to access protocols and reports. Giving them direct access was no option. So I set up a DB server, built a custom periodic data export, and used a no/low code tool named Budibase to build a web frontend. Because I have total control over the data I export I could work around limitations regarding data representation by simply adjusting my export logic.

[David Schwartz 426]

Has anybody played with AppGini from BigProf Software? I've built several small DB-based web apps with it, and you can do quite a lot without having to write any code. The UI isn't anything to write home about, but unlike most low/no-code platforms, it generates php/MySQL code that runs totally on its own.

 

https://bigprof.com/appgini/

 

 

 

Edited April 9 by David Schwartz

[JonRobertson 72]

10 hours ago, David Schwartz said:

Has anybody played with AppGini from BigProf Software

Nope, but I clicked the link out of curiosity. I just love commercial products that offer a trial but give no details about the trial period, expiration, or trial limitations.

 

However, the price sounds very reasonable... if it works 

[David Schwartz 426]

On 4/9/2024 at 1:57 PM, JonRobertson said:

Nope, but I clicked the link out of curiosity. I just love commercial products that offer a trial but give no details about the trial period, expiration, or trial limitations.

 

However, the price sounds very reasonable... if it works 

 

I imagine you prefer visiting projects on GitHub that have no documentation at all and require you to read the code to figure out exactly what they do. But, hey, they're free, so what's a few hours of your time worth, right? And of course, besides being free everything on GitHub works perfectly and they've got terrific support, saving you even more time!

 

FWIW, I found this tool in 2010, and the author has been regularly updating it ever since. To his credit, he charges a very modest annual fee rather than saying "free updates for life", which usually means he'll be out of business within 2-3 years.

 

I'd encourage you to 'click the link' on most WP plugins to see how few of them have been around since 2010, and how many have NOT been updated in the past year or three.

 

Sorry, but I don't understand why so many programmers are allergic to paying for the same stuff that they themselves get paid to do without regard for how or where those funds come from -- usually from sales of the software they write. But who's counting...

[Rick_Delphi 14]

36 minutes ago, David Schwartz said:

so what's a few hours of your time worth

A thousand dollars in U.S. currency.

[JonRobertson 72]

3 hours ago, David Schwartz said:

I imagine you prefer visiting projects on GitHub that have no documentation at all and require you to read the code to figure out exactly what they do

I prefer projects have documentation. But a lack of documentation does not keep me from investigating. Reading the code is the best way to learn what they do.

 

3 hours ago, David Schwartz said:

hey, they're free, so what's a few hours of your time worth, right?

It takes time to learn new things. I find learning to be extremely valuable.

 

4 hours ago, David Schwartz said:

I don't understand why so many programmers are allergic to paying for the same stuff that they themselves get paid to do

If that was directed at me personally, it should not have been. You have no idea how much money I have spent on software or developer's tools since I started learning to program 43 years ago.

 

I don't understand why a person or company that creates a product they believe would be useful to others wouldn't spent a few minutes to inform potential customers the details, including limitations, of a trial version or offer.

[David Schwartz 426]

9 hours ago, JonRobertson said:

If that was directed at me personally, it should not have been.

It wasn't. It's just a general attitude that I find quite pervasive in the programming community. 

 

9 hours ago, JonRobertson said:

I don't understand why a person or company that creates a product they believe would be useful to others wouldn't spent a few minutes to inform potential customers the details, including limitations, of a trial version or offer.

Maybe because details of the trial are irrelevant to the offer itself?  When you click the link for a trial DL on most sites, it usually goes to a page where all of the TRIAL details are listed, which are sometimes (but not always) different from the MAIN OFFER. If you put them on the MAIN OFFER PAGE then people will often get the two confused and a confused mind does nothing.

 

A lot of times, the trial offer can vary by switching out the trial DL page rather than the main sales page.

 

 

Edited April 15 by David Schwartz

[JonRobertson 72]

9 hours ago, David Schwartz said:

Maybe because details of the trial are irrelevant to the offer itself?

That is just nonsense in my opinion. Of course the details of a trial are relevant to the trial. Saying otherwise is almost as inconceivable as saying the details of the license agreement are irrelevant to my use of a software product or developer tool.

 

9 hours ago, David Schwartz said:

If you put them on the MAIN OFFER PAGE then people will often get the two confused

What about the page that quite clearly says at the top

Download AppGini Free Trial

Or perhaps on the Frequently Asked Questions page, for someone like me that would want to know.

Edited April 15 by JonRobertson

[David Schwartz 426]

I'm pointing at something that I think might be interesting to you and you're upset at my fingers being crooked. 

[JonRobertson 72]

Not at all. I'm sharing what seems to be an opposing opinion. I suppose to clarify any miscommunication, since your ideals about what "I prefer" were opposite of what I actually prefer.

[Lars Fosdal 1792]

If you are a corporate developer, the money for tools are peanuts compare to other costs.

[JonRobertson 72]

22 minutes ago, Lars Fosdal said:

If you are a corporate developer, the money for tools are peanuts compare to other costs.

I completely agree. Unfortunately, people who write the "corporate check" don't always agree.

[Bill Meyer 337]

38 minutes ago, Lars Fosdal said:

If you are a corporate developer, the money for tools are peanuts compare to other costs.

Depending on the corporate view of dev tools as investment.