Appercept founder: Bringing Delphi into the AWS cloud era
The is a guest post for the Computer Weekly Developer Network written by Richard Hatherall in his position as founder and chief executive of Appercept Limited.
Appercept is known for its AWS SDK for Delphi and the company says it upholds a mission to help developers and the broader tech community by ensuring Delphi’s relevance and value in an increasingly cloud-dependent world.
Hatherall writes in full as follows…
For those of us who began coding in Delphi, it’s hard not to feel a sense of pride in this tool that once led the way in Rapid Application Development (RAD).
Delphi’s simplicity, efficiency and compatibility across platforms has empowered a diverse range of businesses since its launch in 1995. It remains, to this day, indispensable for many, with its remarkably stable applications enduring decades with minimal maintenance.
However, despite its loyal user base, Delphi has found itself lumbered – unfairly – with a reputation as a ‘legacy’ technology.
The perception is Delphi has struggled to keep pace with the rise of web and mobile applications and lacks robust support for cloud integration. Developers are increasingly moving to what are often seen as more modern languages, such as Python and C++, while companies are said to be investing in those deemed more future-proof.
A directive for Delphi
Yet, while there is some truth to its limitations, they should in no way consign Delphi to the technological rubbish dump. Though its ranking may have slipped, it remains in the top ten on the TIOBE index [at the time of writing]. Indeed, thousands of businesses continue to rely on Delphi for reasons that are as valid today as ever – speed, simplicity, and compatibility across software, operating systems, and databases.
As the original RAD tool, users can take applications from idea to prototype and even release at lightning speed. But its benefits don’t stop there. Its ease of use in both maintenance and real-world application is invaluable for businesses looking for an efficient solution, especially in industries that can’t justify constant upgrades or high turnover in their IT stack.
Delphi also protects existing investments, given its compatibility with software dating back to the Windows 95 days. For many companies – particularly those outside the core tech industry – this is more than convenient; it’s essential. It guarantees dependable solutions that will run consistently for years without costly overhauls.
A modern SDK for Delphi
Instead, what Delphi really needs is to be brought up to date – particularly in relation to Amazon Web Services cloud. As cloud computing has become increasingly central, Delphi developers found themselves with limited functionality to AWS. The missing link put some companies in a difficult position when pressured to adopt cloud solutions and integrate AWS’s AI, storage and security capabilities.
My journey toward a solution began when I was leading an application project targeting iOS and Android in a previous job. We had lost half our team in corporate restructuring and with the increasing pressure from both Apple and Google to keep up with changes to their frameworks and services, our product manager challenged us to come up with a plan to redevelop our front-end applications in a way to lighten our load. Researching various cross-platform approaches, we found Delphi was one of the strongest options.
However, with AWS as our primary cloud provider, the project hit an obstacle.
Commercial compiler cut-off
Delphi had no robust AWS SDK and the limited third-party solutions didn’t support enough AWS services to meet our needs.
AWS SDKs exist for widely-used, open source languages, but Delphi, as a commercial compiler, didn’t make the cut. As I continued my research, it quickly became clear there would be no immediate route to develop such an SDK through AWS either as they essentially considered it a ‘legacy’ technology.
Appercept founder Hatherall: Delphi is not done & dusted.
Then it hit me: other developers would likely be facing the same problem. Companies running Delphi-based applications might find themselves stuck, forced to rebuild in another language or abandon Delphi. It was a problem that, if solved, could bring new life to Delphi applications in a cloud-based future.
The result of this was the Appercept AWS SDK for Delphi. Designed to support Delphi’s component-based RAD style, this SDK enables developers to connect Delphi applications directly to AWS. The SDK offers access to twelve of AWS’s most popular services, from Amazon S3 to Cognito, Secrets Manager, SNS, and Polly. More are in development, with plans to continue expanding the SDK’s reach.
This SDK provides the core capabilities you’d expect from an AWS SDK. It includes automatic configuration, credential management, and automatic retries, making it easy for developers to build reliable applications that interact smoothly with AWS services. We’ve tailored it to integrate into Delphi’s RAD Studio, providing context-sensitive help, configuration management, and drop-in components for both FMX (cross-platform) and VCL (Windows) applications.
Empowering Delphi for cloud
In a time when cloud adoption is rapidly becoming non-negotiable, Delphi developers don’t need to be left behind.
The Appercept AWS SDK for Delphi was designed to extend the life and capabilities of Delphi applications in a meaningful way, bringing reliable, straightforward applications into the modern cloud environment.
In short, you can modernise your applications, ensuring that Delphi remains a viable, valuable choice for your business going forward. It is a legacy system no more.
