fmxexpress

There is a Python IDE built in Delphi called PyScripter. Doubt it has anything specific for phone apps though.

https://github.com/pyscripter/pyscripter

One reason is that it made a great case study for modernizing an app from Delphi 7 to the latest version.

https://blogs.embarcadero.com/embarcadero-dev-c-successfully...

~$51/month for 36 months.

This is inaccurate.

The pro license compiles to Android, IOS, Windows, and OSX. You can connect to SQLite and IBlite. Additionally, you can connect to MySQL or other DBs on localhost for example. Lastly, you can connect to remote databases with third party solutions (though against the spirit of the license).

The enterprise license allows connecting to over 20 different remote databases.

The architect license (the most expensive) has additional features not related to connecting to remote databases.

There is a free Community Edition.

https://www.embarcadero.com/products/delphi/starter/free-dow...

Delphi's FireMonkey framework offers cross platform on Android, iOS, Windows, macOS, and Linux with a single codebase and single UI. It works similar to how Flutter works in that it uses DirectX, OpenGL, OpenGL ES, and Metal API to draw the native like controls. Plus offers access to some native controls (mixed together) On Linux it uses GTK+.

There are thousands of hours of video tutorials on how to build cross platform apps with FireMonkey on YouTube. But really it is just all built into the IDE. Select the platform. Compile. A Linux machine and a macOS machine are required to compile for those platforms. Because it is an integrated IDE everyone is together so there is less tooling to fight to compile for all platforms.

Plus Delphi has staying power and plenty of history (25 years) behind it just like Python and PHP (verses newer languages and frameworks which may not be around later).

There are other libraries available for Delphi that let you build apps like Electron (webview based apps) or entirely using native controls on iOS using Storyboards if you prefer that way.

If I can self promote for a second here are 100 cross platform sample apps built in Delphi: https://github.com/FMXExpress/Cross-Platform-Samples

I've been away from the flash game business for awhile but was missing maybe 5 years ago (and may still be missing) is a single package file containing everything that can be distributed for an HTML5 game. Like an SWF.

Embarcadero was able to do it with Delphi. Android, iOS, macOS, Windows, and Linux. Single codebase single UI.

It looks like the bear is in keeping up with all the platform updates all the time though.

Delphi does this. GDI+/DirectX on Windows, OpenGL on macOS, and GTK+ on Linux (and OpenGL on Android and iOS). Single source responsive UI.

Real estate, finance, oil & gas, software development clients. I charge $160/h. 20+ years of experience.

This template project has a REST back end (sounds like you already have that) and demos connecting to it from native clients and from AngularJS. You don't have to do anything special to hit Windows/OSX/Linux with it. The one project will compile to all 3.

https://community.embarcadero.com/article/16560-deep-dive-ho...

RAD Studio let's you build cross platform apps targeting Android, iOS, macOS, Windows, Linux, and HTML5 with a single codebase and single UI. Choose either Object Pascal or C++.

I prefer the Object Pascal side but the C++ side is also powerful because it solves some of the problems that the Dropbox team talked about in their "The (not so) hidden cost of sharing code between iOS and Android" article.

Embarcadero Delphi Community Edition lets you compile to Android, iOS, macOS, and Windows with it's FireMonkey framework using a single UI and single codebase. It's free for hobbyists. The paid version plus a third party component adds Linux desktop support as well.

> Just try to build even a small program written for Windows 95 or 98 today.

This largely works if it was written in Delphi.

Does VS Community Edition let a developer compile to Android/iOS/macOS32/Windows with a single codebase and single UI? I've used Xamarin and it doesn't really seem to do that.

They have macOS64 on their roadmap. I agree though that they should keep up with the macOS support better than they do. Even if it is probably the smallest platform by marketshare they support.

There are lots of drag and drop tools on the market. Why not just download the Delphi Community Edition for your hobby projects though? It's free.

Delphi does compile to Linux. With the FMXLinux third party add on the Delphi FireMonkey framework compiles apps to iOS/Android/Windows/macOS32/Linux with a single UI and single codebase.

This is incorrect. I have Pro. I use FireDAC. SQLite can be used with Pro.