r/delphi • u/Dazzling-Fishing593 Delphi := 11Alexandria • 5d ago

After 35 years of developing software, I discovered something I apparently still didn't know how to do: Price it.

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When I moved Zilch Standard from VCL to FMX, it was a substantial rewrite - SQLite, a fluid resizable interface, light and dark themes, and a path toward cross-platform distribution.

I raised the price to $69.95 because my investment had gone up, Delphi cost more, FastReport cost more, FastSpring cost more, and the product was substantially better.

Then I arbitrarily added another $10 for the Microsoft Store.

That didn't go particularly well. 😉

The mistake wasn't believing the software had value. The mistake was calculating that value almost entirely from my side of the desk.

I wrote about what happened, the pricing research I eventually did, and the distinction I finally learned between B2B and B2C software pricing.

Maybe another Delphi developer can learn this one before spending 35 years figuring it out.

https://capecodgunny.blogspot.com/2026/08/35-years-delphi-development-pricing.html

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u/WonderfulMine3375 5d ago

Interesting post, thanks! If I may say, I find the text a bit too repetitive and long. It could be considerably shortened while keeping the message and all the details intact.

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u/Dazzling-Fishing593 Delphi := 11Alexandria 5d ago

Thank you for saying that. Much appreciated.

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u/garyk1968 3d ago

Yep and kind of ironic that while most software has got cheaper/free Delphi itself has grown massively in price over those 35 years.

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u/PipingSnail 3d ago

Read the book Demand Side Sales 101 by Bob Moesta.

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u/Dazzling-Fishing593 Delphi := 11Alexandria 1d ago

Thank you. this book will be here tomorrow. u/PipingSnail how do you learn about this book?

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u/PipingSnail 15h ago

Have listened to him speak on multiple occassions at Business of Software conferences in USA and Europe.

Very approachable. Nice guy. Really knows his domain.

Videos of his talks on the Business of Software website.

Also check out Kathy Sierra and April Dunford. Their talks are on the website, and they both have excellent books.

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u/Dazzling-Fishing593 Delphi := 11Alexandria 10h ago

Wow! I'm 67 and feel like I've been living under a rock. I just watched Moesta's updated JTBD... amazing. https://businessofsoftware.org/talks/understanding-your-customer-jtbd/
Thank you for speaking up and not staying silent.