Why people prefer VB.NET or C# instead of Delphi?

[billegge]

I don't need to care about Windows patches (or newer versions of Windows) breaking my app because MS handles that by updating the .Net FW.

I have applications that were developed 10 years ago that still work on current windows. So I don't agree with you there. Its more, .net versions have a lifetime and will stop being supported. Basically your application is split in 2, the part you made and the runtime environment which you don't control. MSoft is more flippant about supporting .net than they are about supporting the OS. A native app has more assurance that it will run in a windows environment than a .net app.

From experience, I have had 2 server applications on the same box go down because of a .net framework issue that could not be resolved and we had to get a new box and rebuild. The applications that did not go down were the native ones I made in Delphi.

Native apps simply have less to go wrong and there is also a much simpler and anxiety free deployment.