Shifting to windows platform

[kotharikailash]

Hi,

I have developed lots of clipper based applications over the last 20 years. And my clients are more than happy with the products. However, with diminishing support from windows to DOS based applications, I am kind of forced to move to window platform.
I seriously thought of converting applications to VB.NET & SQL Server, but everytime I take up the challange, I feel frustated due to the mammoth task of conversation, as even the logic at times is not clear ( written long long time back). I therefore thought of moving to xHarbour. I need your advice on:
1. Is it a good decision?
2. Will xHarbour continue support for all upcoming versions of windows( I know, this is difficult to say but what is the trend like)?
3. Is windows vista ( & 7 ) currently supported?

Thanks

 

[TonHu]

Some answers, but please be advised, it is my opinion

1. It is the easy decision. Whether it's a good decision is upto you and your customers (users).
1a. I would personally go for a little more abstraction as just 'VB.NET & SQL', but if that means switching to .NET and a persistence framework, that would be fine, I guess. (C# has my preference over VB.NET, but if you know VB that is much easier I presume)

2. Most likely they will, as a lot of (end)users are destined to be using the latest Windows release. Being ready for Vista/Win7 is more a matter of 'good application design and behavior' (do not write files in current directory, or registry entries in HKLM) than of a runtime not being able to run on that platform.

3. See 2. & Yes.

Basically, when making a transformation like this, it would be wise to re-design the entire strategy/application behavior, and do that using modern application development techniques and frameworks (JVM - Java/JEE or .NET - VB/C#/ASP).
A good design, based on a proven architecture, can avoid these transformation problems in the far future.

HTH

 

[GriffMG]

I know it's not quite the question you asked, but here is my pennyworth:

I have tried xBase++ from Alaska, and it's not bad - but not sufficiently compatible to make the cost worth the pain.

I have been developing in VFP instead of Clipper for some years now, and really enjoy that - some of the Clipper code cut-and-pastes (pretty much unchanged) into VFP and the IDE is so good that I also use it to develop web apps.

Good luck whatever you chose.

B-)

Regards

Griff
Keep [Smile]ing

There are 10 kinds of people in the world, those who understand binary and those who don't.

 

[StarPassing]

Just a thought form me. I programmed large and small applications in Clipper for many many years. I choose to convert them all to Microsoft Access. I’ve gone through Access 97, 2003 and now using Access 2007. The learning curve was not that big. Using VBA inside Access is a lot like Clipper. But, how I’m trying to learn ASP.Net with SQL server. It’s a major change. The SQL server part is easy as I used it as a back-end for Access a lot. But the ASP.Net is a different world. But you will have to go with a web-based applications sooner or later. So, I’d go for it sooner.

 

[EzLogic]

I've been a vfp developers for 8 years now, and i "evolved" from clipper.

i found the transition very very easy, since it is very similar (in the most part), besides the OO parts.

I love VFP. I wish i had developed in FoxPro for dos instead of clipper in the 90s!

Ali Koumaiha
TeknoPCS Inc.
Dearborn heights, MI 48127

 

[GriffMG]

I never enjoyed working in FP for Dos, somehow Clipper seemed much closer to the data - a bizarre way of looking at it really.

But I have found the move to VFP very nice, and even now I learn new stuff from time to time!

B-)

Regards

Griff
Keep [Smile]ing

There are 10 kinds of people in the world, those who understand binary and those who don't.

 

[EzLogic]

Intresting GriffMG!

I wanted to leap to visual dbase, i know they have a nice product now, which supports web and they have their own sql server type engine!

its sooo much like clipper/dbaseIII

dbase.com

Ali Koumaiha
TeknoPCS Inc.
Dearborn heights, MI 48127

 

[GriffMG]

hmmm

dbase.com

Regards

Griff
Keep [Smile]ing

There are 10 kinds of people in the world, those who understand binary and those who don't.

 

[hag99]

Using FWH (fivewin) and harbour. Not xharbour. Works fine and was a relatively easy solution. My clipper app now runs in windows 7 64 bit. Great FWH and Harbour a life saver.

 

[EzLogic]

Griff, did you check it out?

the new dbase.com?

Ali Koumaiha
TeknoPCS Inc.
Dearborn heights, MI 48127

 

[GriffMG]

Only very, very quickly... I just looked at the opening page.

Do you use it?
Is there a version for Linux (which has to be where I go in the end - it's costing too much to run M$ servers for my webbie stuff)?

Regards

Griff
Keep [Smile]ing

There are 10 kinds of people in the world, those who understand binary and those who don't.

 

[EzLogic]

I requested a download trial, but, i wasn't able to log in with the credential they gave me.. been too busy with projects, which is good

for webbie stuff, i do alot of that, B2B type Portal and links to my FoxPro back-end applications (eCommerce, Portal, Forums, etc..)

I develope purely in FoxPro + IIS and if i have to, i put MS SQL Express

I use FoxWeb for the webserver, and it is the best thing i have ever used.. Purely VFP... sorta like ASP

Foxweb.com

i have 5 big customers that use it.. been using it since 2006.

Ali Koumaiha
TeknoPCS Inc.
Dearborn heights, MI 48127

 

[GriffMG]

My webbie stuff is ASP to vfpoledb on iis.

It's ok, but I would prefer to move away from iis to apache - but I have not found a good way to talk to the VFP tables, and I need them because the data has to be available as a thick client as well as a thin one!



Regards

Griff
Keep [Smile]ing

There are 10 kinds of people in the world, those who understand binary and those who don't.

 

[EzLogic]

GriffMg,

download foxweb trial version. it says it runs on apache.

i love it! i use it on IIS and used it with sql and native vfp tables

Ali Koumaiha
TeknoPCS Inc.
Dearborn heights, MI 48127