Let’s talk about compile times. In 2026, we wait for cargo build or npm install . We sip coffee while Webpack bundles. In 2002, on a Pentium III with 256MB of RAM, Delphi 7 would compile a 100,000-line application before you could lift your finger off the F9 key .
Unlike VB6, the Delphi 7 compiler produced standalone EXEs. No runtime DLLs (except for database components). A "Hello World" in was ~300KB. In .NET 8, it’s 60MB+. Delphi 7 Personal 7.0