Support List wrote:

>> > I have got to the point where I need to decide where my time is best spent
>> > as I
>> > seem to be wasting a lot of it on unproductive work on the moment. Most of
>> > the
>> > new paid work is now web based and replacing those critical VCL components
>> > with
>> > a web based alternative is another option, but still leave the black hole
>> > of the
>> > hardware that is essential for sites to work at all.
> Also, have you given Free Pascal Compiler a look? I have already ported the
> non-visual parts of IBO to that so there is nothing stopping you from using
> your IBO code base on a Linux machine.

The main problem is that the Builder6 visual code does not port easily to
pascal. It is the visual stuff that is the main problem remaining although there
should not be a problem since Delphi versions of the components are available. I
don't think there is anything left on Builder5 that I need to worry about these
days, which is why I've not used it recently. The problem moving to XE1 is
mainly the loss of access to the hardware interfaces. The libraries for parallel
and serial ports have not been ported over and the alternatives are not
providing the original protocols :( Microsoft simply does not understand
hardware? The sound interface simply does not work at all nowadays! Unless you
are simply playing DRM restricted files. I've not been able to simply send mono
audio files out of the left or right channel for many years now. Everything has
to be 'surround sound' these days which is pointless when one only has a single
PA channel.

> I also have plans to support FireMonkey in the near future. Actually, there
> is very little that needs to be done to remove VCL dependencies from the IBO
> non-visual components.

I don't see any point in pumping more money into embarcadero to upgrade from XE1
to XE2. I'd rather stay with an open source javascript/AJAX platform than adding
yet another time consuming learning exercise. Every 'upgrade' in the last few
years has restricted access to the hardware more and more and just seems to be
going backwards when one is trying to build real systems.

--
Lester Caine - G8HFL
-----------------------------
Contact - http://lsces.co.uk/wiki/?page=contact
L.S.Caine Electronic Services - http://lsces.co.uk
EnquirySolve - http://enquirysolve.com/
Model Engineers Digital Workshop - http://medw.co.uk//
Firebird - http://www.firebirdsql.org/index.php