Where can I find a "Turbo" or "Lite" version of Delphi?

Question

I have a co-worker with a strong background in Ruby that is interested in getting started with Delphi and native development. However, I understand that Turbo Delphi (based on Delphi 2006) is no longer available for download.

So...where does that leave him? Is there any low cost or introductory version of Delphi available legally somewhere? Or is there an offering on the horizon from Embarcadero?

Note: Please don't suggest any legally questionable versions, as that is not an option we will consider.

UPDATED: To sum up all answers the only legal and free version of Delphi that you can download and install now (unless you already have a personal license for Delphi 7 Personal or Turbo Delphi) is Delphi Community Edition.

And the next closest thing is the Lazarus IDE and the Free-Pascal compiler.

Answer 1

Since July of 2018 there is a Free Community Edition of Delphi.

At the moment the Delphi Community Edition supports both VCL and FireMonkey as well as building for Windows, macOS, iOS and Android, and is a feature rich IDE (compared to Turbo Delphi) with a limited license. In terms of features the new Community Edition is much, much, much better than past Starter or Turbo editions.

It's targeted at individual developers or companies with total revenue less than 5000 USD and less than 5 developers in the organization (eg. freelance developers, startups, students, non-profits). Note that the total revenue threshold includes all your projects and contracts, no matter if the Community Edition was used in those projects or not.

The Delphi Community Edition comes with a 1 year license. Once it expires you have to reinstall the Community Edition and accept the new Community license (license terms might have changed by then). In this regard the Community Edition differs from Turbo Delphi, which was kind of "use forever" once installed with a personal license.

As another side note, the Community license does not allow transfering the command line compiler to other machines.

Some quotes from the Delphi Community Edition FAQ:

Community Edition is both designed to allow individuals and startups to bootstrap their vision until annual revenues reach $5,000 at which point a Professional Edition license can be purchased.

If you're an individual you may use Community Edition to create apps for your own use and apps that you can sell until your revenues reach $5,000 per year.

If you're a small company or organization without revenue (or up to $5,000 per year in revenue), you can also use the Community Edition. Once your company's total revenue reaches US $5,000 per year, or your team expands to more than 5 developers, you can move up to an unrestricted commercial license with Professional Edition.

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You may sell any apps or components developed with the Community Edition under the Community Edition license until your annual revenue exceeds US $5,000 or local currency equivalent. Please see license terms here.

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Can I sell my apps or components built with the Community Edition?

A Professional, Enterprise or Architect edition license is required for developing or deploying any apps or components within any company with total company revenues exceeding US $5,000 or local currency equivalent.

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If I work for a company with more than US $5,000 in revenue, can I still download Delphi Community Edition or C++Builder Community Edition for my own personal use?

You can download Delphi Community Edition or C++Builder Community Edition as an individual and use it to develop applications for your personal use and use it to create software for you to sell (up to US $5,000 in revenue, see License Agreement for details).

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How can I get a new 1 year key after my current CE key expires?

Users will be able to request a new 1 year key through the website. That key will be > applicable to the current CE edition that’s available for download at that time. We will assist you to stay current and up to date, always on the latest version.

As Marco Cantu said Long live to Delphi!