Delphi Community Edition available:

Delphi Community Edition available:

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

Comments

  1. What the starter changes the name ... so now is community...ha

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  2. Azrael Az In contrast to Starter, the Community Edition is a full featured Professional Edition with a limited license. Have a look at the feature matrix:
    https://www.embarcadero.com/products/delphi/product-editions

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  3. This is a step in the right direction, but not enough. A Community Edition should be an exact replica of the Professional version, just with a restrictive license. But there is hope, this is much better than the old starter version.

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  4. Leonardo Herrera It IS an exact replica of the Professional version, just with a restricted license.

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  5. The only difference between CE and Pro, is license-wise, check the matrix.

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  6. After reading the FAQ and feature matrix, I get the following impression:

    * Every individual (and company with max. 5 developers) can get the Community Edition for free as long as he meets the requirements (<5000 US$ revenue).
    * The Community Edition has the same features as the Professional Edition.
    * You won't get access to earlier versions of Delphi
    * You also won't get the Community Edition as a network named user license.
    * It is restricted to a one year term (which Embarcadero promises to extend)
    * You also don't get updates that require a subscription.

    What about source code of the RTL/VCL/FMX? Is that included?

    FAQ:
    embarcadero.com - Delphi and C++ Builer are a great way to get started building high-performance application for Windows without database connectivity. Learn more with our FAQ.

    Feature Matrix:
    https://www.embarcadero.com/features/feature-matrix

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  7. >> What about source code of the RTL/VCL/FMX? Is that included?

    Yes, but mustn't altered by users.

    delphipraxis.net - Delphi Community Edition - Seite 2 - Delphi-PRAXiS

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  8. Yes finally Embarcadero realize this but should be done years ago. The key to make healthy business for Embarcadero is a lot of users. Hobby programmers and students today are developers out in companies in the future. Microsoft realized this and give away VS Community Edition. Of course people with tight economy choose that. But now this group have an option to choose Delphi instead.

    Hopefully more people discover Delphi now.

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  9. This decision may be a game changer for the product.

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  10. No C++Builder and Delphi together. Hurts a little (for a small percentage). The two together can actually be a quite powerful combination.

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  11. Nice! So students and hobbyists can actually have a usable Delphi for free?

    Biodiversity and additional mass to swarm on challenges are good for the Delphi population, which is threatened by extinction. :-)

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  12. Joe C. Hecht Install in separate VMs.

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  13. Wouter van Nifterick there was/is an academic license, but it was not easy to find and involved jumping through loops - I think 😊

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  14. Uwe Raabe I always use VM's. Twice ram, twice the disk space, twice OS updates (if you do that), twice the fun. I suppose you can connect them on network and get reasonably the same results.

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  15. I get strongly reminded of Turbo-Delphi. That was also free (with few restrictions, e.g. you could not install experts). It was dropped after a rather short time and was said to have hurt the sales significantly.
    The new offer is different in two aspects:
    * Less restrictions
    * Limited to one year
    (Forget about the max. profit condition, how are Embarcadero to check that?)
    Something else is different though: Embarcadero control the validity of your license and can turn it of any time.

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  16. Step 2 would be Delphi 10.3 with a fixed (overall) FMX!

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  17. great... but, minimum 10 years too late

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  18. Say that I download the community edition. Is the licence automatically updated after a year?

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  19. Finally, a step in right direction.
    Congratulations Embarcadero.

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  20. Jacek Laskowski Better late than never!

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  21. Ugochukwu Mmaduekwe I think Community Ed. is available only as web-install, which also is faster unless you install all platforms and stuff.

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  22. AFAIK, the ISO installer won't accept the CE serial.

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  23. This is something that EMBT had to do to compete against Visual Studio. I hope that this is a simple installation just like VS Community without a need to get a license number.

    Hopefully this will work on my surface pro so i can do development work on the road or sofa.

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  24. Jeroen Wiert Pluimers CE will not work with ISO, nor will it work with previous builds. The current installer has build no. 3231.

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  25. Jeroen Wiert Pluimers, thanks but I just discovered that community must be installed through the esd installer from the FAQ.

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  26. Sorry for fast comment without look. This is great news more people come to pascal / delphi language/ide . Should be done years ago but that is great news. Bravo embarcadero....

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  27. This is absolutely great news for the community and Delphi's future.

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  28. Linux support will ever come to Delphi CE?

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  29. Ow, didn't see that Professional has database connectivity only to local or embedded databases. I had forgot that (I use XE with an AnyDAC license).

    So, kudos to Embarcadero :-)

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  30. By the way - I don't understand the VCL source code restrictions. Can somebody elaborate?

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  31. Leonardo Herrera The Feature Matrix mentions "VCL library source code to help extending and debugging components: Limited in COMMUNITY", which probably means: Debugging = yes, extending = no.

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  32. Shame about the source code restriction, though I'm curious as to how it may be monitored, if at all. Some may read the restriction as: You cannot fix our bugs

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  33. I think that the code restriction is good and everything but it's also useless. As David said there is no way to monitor the code restriction because if you really want to see the sources... well you can pay or get delphi for free using some "cheats" (and finding the proper cheating tools is not so hard)

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  34. Alberto Miola "..if you really want to see the sources... well you can pay.." CE comes with the source.

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  35. That's great news! Kudos to Embarcadero

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  36. Leonardo Herrera I remember there was a FireDAC Client/server addon for purchase, exclusive for professional edition. but cant see it no more. It qould be great if we can use that package with community edition

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  37. Uwe Raabe Sounds better. Starter was really a non-starter.

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  38. Uwe Raabe I think the matrix raises confusion on this, by using the word "limited". It seems they mean it in the sense that your use is limited, not that the components are limited (as in reduced complement.)

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  39. Leonardo Herrera Built-in connectivity to local or embedded databases, yes. But since CE is in essence the Professional SKU, you can add third party libraries at will (that actually also applied to the now departed Starter Ed).

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  40. Jacek Laskowski That's all you have to say? Why bother.

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  41. If I understand it correctly the Community Edition also has limited DB Support. Only local and embedded databases. So no SQL Server and things alike.

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  42. Stefaan Lesage CE is essentially the same product as Professional; the level of DB support in both is identical

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  43. So CE edition has a seperate installer? I wonder if it installs any "telemetry" microsoft style :D

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  44. Steffen Nyeland no, it is not the "only difference"

    matrix: Library source code - Limited

    And there is NO information what the limitations are.

    EULA says "Licensees are only allowed to read the VCL, FireMonkey and other source code provided with the Community Edition." - so basically there is no information even about RTL. Are "TStringList" sources included ? Probably they are, but there is NO official information.

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  45. "If Licensee is an individual developer, the revenue of all contract work performed by developer in one calendar year may not exceed the Threshold (whether or not the Community Edition is used for all projects). "

    So, if some German dentist uses Delphi for hobby - he can not have CE.
    So, if some developer uses company-purchased Delphi at work, he can not have CE at home for hobby work on FLOSS libs.

    Then, every year ... "must re-install the latest version of the Community Edition and agree with the terms and conditions of the Agreement in force at that time" - so, again, work on 3rd party libraries is severely limited.

    Basically, no any employed person, unless his job is total trash, can use CE.

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  46. embarcadero.com - Which edition of Delphi is right for you? Learn more about Delphi Starter, Professional, Enterprise, Ultimate, and Architect editions here.

    "Delphi® - Community Edition

    Our free Delphi Community Edition is designed for freelance developers, startups and non-profits.... " - that is basically a lie, a "fine print" gotcha, few extreme corner cases justify that phrase, but in practical terms it is not true.

    But what more hilarious, right after that text there is "Delphi® - Community Edition" button, and when you click it - you go to 404.

    The harmony of shape and content....

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  47. David Nottage yeah ... was comparing it to my Enterprise edition.

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  48. Arioch The: "And there is NO information what the limitations are." Yes there is: embarcadero.com - The Software License and Support Agreement applies to RAD Studio 10.2, Delphi 10.2, and C++Builder 10.2. Please read our statement for more information.

    (My emphasis on the word: read)

    "Licensees are only allowed to read the VCL, FireMonkey and other source code provided with the Community Edition"

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  49. Is it 5000$ earned from applications made from CE or 5000$ general revenue;

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  50. Peter Vonča The installer is the same for all editions. The serial decides about what is actually installed.

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  51. I was under the impression that Limited FMX components means not full range of them...

    And what happens after one year? You need to download the CE and install it again?

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  52. Charalampos Michael "For example, a developer who receives payment of $5,000.00 for a single project (or more than $5,000.00 for multiple projects) even if such engagements do not anticipate the use of the Community Edition, is not allowed to use the Community Edition." So, my understanding is a general revenue.

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  53. John Kouraklis What did you read that gave you an impression of "limited FMX components"?

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  54. Arioch The He is a dutch dentist!

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  55. Arioch The "Basically, no any employed person, unless his job is total trash, can use CE."
    You are mixing salary and revenue here. It is quite possible to have a job with a six digit monthly salary and use the CE for private work, as long as the revenue from this private work is in the limits. Even if I make millions a year trading stocks I usually qualify for CE as a hobby. Things may turn different when I use some self written programs for this trading.
    BTW, the German dentist is also covered as long as he uses CE only for his hobby. (To be precise, he is not even German. He is only living here.)
    Forgive me, but I get the impression that you just trying to spread FUD.

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  56. Uwe Raabe I didn't dare to post it yet ... but people will always complain :-P So there is finally a free version to play with as a hobbyist and people still complain because they might not be a hobbyist due to making too much revenue.

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  57. David Nottage The edition matrix might be misleading here marking the components as limited. Actually there is no limitation in the number of components or their functionality, but more in the use of their sources. The source code limitation targets that one item from the feature matrix (PDF): "VCL library source code to help extending and debugging components"
    The limitation is targeting the "extending" here. So you may not copy some source file, change it and compile with your project. For this you need Pro or higher. You are still allowed to derive from the existing classes and create your own components (say from TCustomEdit) given that you don't copy code from the standard library.

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  58. I am still confused. I am a hobbist, so I will be able to use it only for one year? After that what? Will be obligated to acquire a full version?

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  59. Uwe Raabe "is quite possible to have a job with a six digit monthly salary and use the CE for private work" it seems you either did not read the EULA or hope that no one else did. The EULA several times in a row again and again explains that it means TOTAL revenue during the year, both related to Delphi CE and unrelated. So with the case of "free-lancer" - any programming in any language is summed up to decide whether he can or can not use CE.

    PS. https://www.embarcadero.com/products/rad-studio/rad-studio-eula - HTTP error 500
    How timely!

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  60. Magno Lima I guess after a year if you still qualify as a hobbyist you will be able to request a new Community Edition licence.

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  61. Okay, now that the link works again...

    The Community Edition license applies solely if Licensee cumulative annual revenue (of the for-profit organization, the government entity or the individual developer) or any donations (of the non-profit organization) does not exceed USD $5,000.00 (or the equivalent in other currencies) (the "Threshold"). If Licensee is an individual developer, the revenue of all contract work performed by developer in one calendar year may not exceed the Threshold (whether or not the Community Edition is used for all projects). For example, a developer who receives payment of $5,000.00 for a single project (or more than $5,000.00 for multiple projects) even if such engagements do not anticipate the use of the Community Edition, is not allowed to use the Community Edition.

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  62. Magno Lima after the year you would have to strike a new deal with EMBT. Maybe in the year they would make community editions with MUCH more permissive conditions that would make Lazarus instantly abandoned and dead. Or maybe they would cancel Community Edition altogether. No one knows and I believe EMBT does not know for sure either. You have a ticket for a one year ride. Then you leave the train and go to get another ticket. Whether in 2019 they would give you free ticket or not - no one can fortunetell.

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  63. Stefaan Lesage but you can get 3rd-party SQL libraries, a lot of those in Torry's or GitHub

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  64. After one year, EMBT will send an offer with 60% discount to purchase the Pro version. Which is not bad actually

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  65. David Nottage well, that is, but I am more interested in "other source code"
    No one can prohibit clean room reverse engineering, so while they may make fixing their bug much harder than it should be - they still can not prohibit it totally. But - only in the libs which were provided. And there is no sure list.

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  66. Arioch The All this has been discussed already and it has been made clear by Embarcadero representatives that anyone with a decent job is entitled to use CE for private things as long as the revenue from these private things stays below that limit. This doesn't change - no matter what you write.

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  67. Uwe Raabe "has been made clear by Embarcadero representatives" is not a legally binding contract, the EULA is. But if anyone wants to take risks at the warranty that most probably they would be too small a prey to actually be hunted because so they were said in commercials, then of course they have full rights to do so.

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  68. Jeroen Wiert Pluimers it is funny that the eula can't get saved on webcitation.org - WebCite archive page
    Granted that server seems much more flaky than Web Archive, or maybe pays more attention to webmasters' prohibitions.

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  69. It's simple.

    Community Edition is Pro.

    Your real job does not preclude you from using Delphi CE as a hobbyist.

    You can't patch the source and use it in your project.

    You CAN take Delphi CE to your local Startup Weekend and crush the competition while they struggle with XCode.

    Once you are rolling in $5k+ cash; buy the upgrade.

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  70. Eli M "Your real job does not preclude you"

    .....as long as your "cumulative annual revenue" of "all contract work performed" (that may or may not be in programming field) and "whether or not the Community Edition is used" would be below "the Threshold"

    Or as long as you rely on commercials (clarifications by EMBT representatives here and there) more than on contracts (EULA that you personally sign)

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  71. Attila Kovacs big deal! you sell the car and buy the Architect Edition

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  72. Arioch The You made your point. It is called FUD.

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  73. It is called blowing the whistle.

    I do repeatedly quote the EULA that you repeatedly avoid touching by the longest pole.

    In fact, you again and again reassure that EULA contradicts "clearings up made by EMBT".
    That definitely is FUD, making contracts contradicting one's promises.
    That absolutely and totally is FUD.

    But I did not had a part in neither making EULA nor in making those "clearing up" statements.
    FUD is generated by EMBT.

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  74. Arioch The I guess everyone has got it now. Thank you very much.

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  75. Wow. 80 comment so far. I find the interpretation of the fine print to be frighting (and very worthy of consideration).

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  76. Joe C. Hecht The interpretation of the fine print is the job of lawyers and judges. Developers are simply not qualified for that. Whatever someone reads out of the fine print it is never what finally will come out from a law suit.
    I recently had a talk to a lawyer of a customer negotiating over a contract. When I asked why we cannot just word it so everyone can understand, he replied: "There has to be something to legitimate my job."

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  77. Fastreport components are not installed, is that now the same with the pro licence as I had them in XE4? Shame as otherwise this CE edition would do everything I need to support my non fee earning app.

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  78. Andy Vines The FastReport installer should be available from your Delphi Registered User Downloads.

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  79. Uwe Raabe - your stated assumption is very flawed.

    If the develop is also lawyer, then perhaps the developer is qualified.

    If the layer is not specialized in contract law, then the lawyer may not be qualified.

    There can be no assumption made of either's qualifications. The brightest attorney I know of (considered for the U.S. supreme court) was a cotton picker.

    Interpretations of words are open to anyone, and reasonable interpretations may be taken up and argued (in court) by the same.

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  80. Joe C. Hecht Interesting scenario. Nevertheless, I strongly believe that developer and lawyer are mutually exclusive. There simply is too much divergence in the way of thinking. Just imagine developers would write software like lawyers write contracts. OK, there are want-to-be developers that actually do so.

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  81. Ertan Küçükoglu so it does count only the revenue of the projects I make with the CE edition. Cool! Anyhow if can make 5000$ with CE you can easily buy the Pro.

    Thanks!

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  82. Uwe Raabe There is also, in my experience, a substantial divergence between the two groups in their understanding of logic and inference.

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  83. Uwe Raabe Mutually exclusive? By definition of the word, I find your remark to be very close to "prejudice".

    You have a pretty fair history of posting legal interpretations. I have read many. I know you as a developer, but as such, I am certainly not about to exclude your interpretations from consideration.

    I welcome a good point made by anyone, regardless of their labelled profession or the proclamation of a shingle hung on a wall.

    If the interpretation is based on logic, it has a reasonable chance to succeed when argued. I will gladly take that.

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  84. Making developers lawyers and vice versa is an intriguing idea. But indeed complicated....

    Well, actually there is an ongoing "software is a contract" experiment right now.
    But the first results were less than stellar.

    Just because you can hardly exploit a bug in the human legalese like 1000 times per second. But a bug in software-as-a-contract becomes a disaster.

    https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.coindesk.com/understanding-dao-hack-journalists/amp/

    What happened next was interesting. In an open letter to The DAO and ethereum Community, the attacker supposedly claimed that his "reward" was legal and threatened to take legal action against anyone who tried to invalidate his work. Several people pointed out that the cryptographic signature in this message wasn't valid  – it could be fake.

    But it's well written, and from a certain point of view, well reasoned: The premise of smart contracts is that they are their own arbiters and that nothing outside the code can "change the rules" of the transaction.

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  85. Leonardo Herrera do not worry too much, delphi is in the past already, these are just convultions

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  86. Saulius Sliackus why do you feel the need to comment in a Delphi community group, if you are not interested?

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  87. ups, sorry thought it's a general discussion

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  88. Uwe Raabe I have looked there and although it shows patches and fixes and installers for 10.2.3 the only entry for FastReports is for my XE4 version

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  89. Andy Vines FastReport should be included. They are going to look into it. Perhaps a simple misconfiguration.

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  90. Awan GS. What about "Show details"?

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  91. Just link for registration, and can not open

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  92. Just follow the links, fill in the registration form, start the download. You will receive a licence key at your mail address. When appropriate, chose the options you want. And Go ! This is definitely the easiest version of Delphi to install ever, and I have it since version 1.

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  93. Awan GS. Try to delete the Embarcadero folders in "ProgramData" and "Program Files (x86)", then repeat the process.

    I'm wondering how RemObjects will respond to this action of Embarcadero?

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  94. I delete on registry editor, program file and program and that solved, thankyou for all

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  95. T n T RemObjects has offered a free version of Swift for years. Visual Studio Community Edition was announced Nov. 12, 2014. The first statement from Embarcadero after VSCE was announced was to tell people to upgrade their Delphi now because there was going to be a price INCREASE in the new year! :-(

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  96. David Nottage " Some may read the restriction as: You cannot fix our bugs"

    "You want to fix our bugs? Hell, WE can't even fix our bugs!" ;-)

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  97. Uwe Raabe Actually, I always thought of static typing fans as contract lawyers. :-) Static typing and legal boilerplate are basically the same thing.

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  98. Uwe Raabe According to the feature matrix FastReports should be available from GetIt for Pro and CE but having checked I can not see it.


    I am not the only one finding this as this forum posting shows.


    community.embarcadero.com - FastReport VCL RAD Edition on Delphi Community Edition - Forum - Embarcadero Community

    Can anyone else who has it installed confirm if they have FastReports components installed or not in CE?

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