[From Bruce Abbott (2011.02.04.0800 EST)]
If there are any non-academics out there who would like to learn Delphi programming, Embarcadero has just released a new version of Delphi XE called “Starter Edition” for $199 (or $149 if you can prove to them that you are upgrading from some other programming environment). (Faculty members can still purchase Delphi XE Professional at $99 under Embarcadero’s special academic licensing.) The Starter Edition is intended for newbies who want to learn Delphi programming or others who are writing programs for their own uses or for limited commercial purposes.
Delphi is a “Rapid Application Development” or RAD environment for programming in Pascal and, like Microsoft’s Visual Studio, includes a “forms editor” that allows you to build the user interface (the on-screen windows that the user interacts with) by selecting components such as buttons, labels, edit windows, and so from a menu and dropping them onto a form. All the PCT programs that Bill Powers and I have been writing are Delphi programs (e.g., the LCS III demos). The Starter Edition includes all of the features we use in our programs.
Information about Delphi XE Starter Edition is available at
http://www.embarcadero.com/products/delphi/starter
Bruce