DevExpress ExpressSkins or VCL Styles?

Question

I am working on a big legacy application written in Delphi. Most of the components are VCL and DevExpress QuantumGrid components. I would need to update the UI to support various styles and a more modern look and feel. Originally I was planning to switch to the DevExpress ExpressSkins library (I already have the full DevExpress VCL subscription) and replace all components with DevExpress components. However since than I have upgraded the project to Delphi XE2 and with it came the VCL Styles technology.

What are the pros and cons of these libraries?

Answer 1

I haven't used VCL styles because I too have Dev Express and like to use their skins. But here are my two cents for DX skins.

Pros for DX skins:

• look great
• always coming out with more skins
• styles chooser widget built in for the end user, if you use the DX ribbon in your app
• DX has great support for their components

Cons for DX skins:

• unusable in a Citrix or Terminal Services environment due to slow screen painting
• each skin adds an entry to your USES clause which can be cumbersome for version control