The most popular rating of technologies is showing the constant collapse of Delphi compared to other programming languages (C/C++, Python, Java, C#, Visual Basic). Initially the platform was quite good since it's release in 1995 by Borland Software Corporation. How did it come about that the popularity of Delphi declined?
Delphi is based on Object Pascal. Some developers do not consider Delphi a programming language, just a production environment. Actually it is an extension of the Pascal programming language (or the tool for developing Object Pascal). It was developed for building different types of desktop and web applications, and succeeded for a while. But now, according to TIOBE, it's been trapped in a bottleneck for at least a decade.
When Delphi started falling from grace?
Background
The initial Delphi language was redundant, but the compiler worked fast. In the nineties it was on the cutting edge of other similar technologies. Free libraries, reasonable cost and high productivity were among Delphi’s benefits.
After a decade of technological plateauing several enhancements occured in 2009 and 2010, since then the only big upgrade was the IDE introduction, which allowed to develop mobile applications in Delphi.
Meanwhile Borland started supporting C++ and C# in its portfolio of related products. Cut it simple, Embarcadero acquired CodeGear (the owner of Delphi) from Borland. Management decisions were among external reasons for the fact that Delphi's popularity started lowering.
Moreover, Microsoft also applied Delphi-countermeasures. Because Delphi was a bit ahead of Visual Basic, Microsoft started poaching talents from Borland. Then the original Delphi developers spreaded across the globe. For example, the developer of the Delphi compiler was also the creator of .NET. Furthermore, some countermeasures were taken in Windows to cause disruption of Delphi applications.
Delphi now
Delphi is an elegant language, but it stands too far behind, since more and more experts abandon Delphi for enterprise development in favor of newer technologies. Among consequences of its low popularity is a shortage and narrow choice of libraries compared to Python, Java, C# etc.
Drawbacks of Delphi
Let’s elaborate on the reasons for Delphi's tragedy.
Delphi is badly limited
Notwithstanding becoming multi-platform (it targeted iOS, Mac and Android), Delphi always falls behind in terms of maintenance and functionality compared to C#, Java and other languages. Moreover, the IDE and libraries of this hyperverbal language have bugs.
It always lacked server-side and networked application development features, meanwhile that is among standard requirements for any programming language these days.
Some developers also complain about the unavailability of middleware, and the lack of support of modern NOSQLs databases.
Shortage of Delphi skills
Nowadays we have numerous opportunities to obtain knowledge even from home. If you are a developer, you need to keep learning constantly, since there is always something new in programming.
In the case of Delphi knowledge is not easy to acquire: no brand new books, no support by enterprise software, few conferences and college courses.
When you need to drill down into one of the older programming languages, you should buy a couple of books. Programming courses on Delphi are also available, but the choice is much narrower compared to more popular technologies.
Lack of Delphi programmers
A young developer had hardly seen a line of code in Delphi, unless he works for a company specialized in legacy modernization. New employees will not likely be trained in Delphi by corporations. Delphi developers are nearly 50+ years old. When they leave or retire, it’s hard to find developers expertized in this technology or those who are prepared to learn it.
No jobs in most of the world
No startup is going to build their software in this language. Since Delphi developers are limited, they are expensive. That's why Delphi is not popular in help wanted ads. The trend of putting Delphi in CV went away long ago, and recently the number of job offerings mentioning Delphi has declined greatly.
Delphi is expensive
In case you face difficulties with running a Delphi application on a newly released version of an operating system, you have to wait for a new Delphi release with corrections and pay again. Many developers state that the IDE is costly too. That is one more reason why experts prefer alternatives to Delphi.
Conclusion
Delphi is not dead for the moment, but it hardly has the next generation. It still has a customer base, who find it convenient to use Delphi for specific tasks and will supposedly use it for life. Furthermore, Delphi is a relatively expensive niche product with an increasing wantage of expertise and a declining market.
It is self-evident that today it doesn't make sense to use Delphi for enterprise developments or in start ups. If Delphi code is embedded in your business software infrastructure, you may face incompatibility and integrity issues. Before high risks related to legacy software occur, it is better to consider conversion of Delphi code to modern technologies like Java or .NET. Fortunately, there are reliable vendors on the IT market which offer solutions for seamless transfer to modern tech stack.
Summarizing the main points of the article, it may be presumed that if nothing extraordinary occurs in the Delphi community, it will keep losing popularity.