1. The IDE in the free version, Turbo Delphi, is based on .NET, and thus is practically useless for me, since the .NET applications cannot run in Linux (my preferred choice of a desktop OS).

2. Delphi does not allow you to write native Linux applications, not to say about the potential to write for Mac/powerpc. Considering the inevitable collapse of Microsoft, the cross-platform compatibilities becoming vital, because the percentage of Mac and Linux users will increase rapidly.

3. Other than that, my engine test did show that FPC code achieves approx. 5% lower FPS than the Delphi code. But again, the guys promised that this is temporary. FPC evolves, while Delphi is practically stalled and its future is unclear.

P.S. And yes, my initial drive out of Delphi was caused by its insane price ($1300 for the most basic version at the time, if I remember correctly).