[lazarus] Cliff Status

[michael at tfdec1.fys.kuleuven.ac.be]

On Sun, 3 Oct 1999, Cliff Baeseman wrote:

> I have got just a few more days doing this project I am on for work. I had
> to re-write a VB client server system in Delphi. The program in VB was just
> getting to ugly "Kludgy" to maintain in the long term. The boys with the
> ties just tasked me two weeks ago to convert it to Delphi. I used to write a
> ton of stuff in VB but this little deal has changed my mind in a big way.
> The VB program was well written but the lack of True OOP just made it ugly.
> The developer that wrote the last one did it in two months, I rewrote it in
> two weeks. It took a whole lot less time and code due to the fact that stuff
> like inheritance is supported in Delphi.

At my company we're about to rewrite a 16Mb VB app with over 50 MDI screens in
Delphi. The VB app - while very well written in some parts - isn't doing
well. We figure that to make the VB app go to Client-server (needed), we'd 
need:
- 2 months code/DB cleanup (badly needed by itself) 
- 1 month going to VB 6/7, updating all widgets. (OCX's and stuff)
- .75 months creating/filling/documenting a Data dictionary 
  (we've a HUGE access DB :( )
- 2 months DAO -> ADO conversion (UNION SQL statements all over the place :( )
- 2 months Client/server work to go to oracle or whatever...
total estimated time: about 8 months.

By rewriting the app FROM SCRATCH in Delphi 5, we think we can do it 
in less than 6 months. 

As a result we would have all the above, plus a much more consistent
interface of the program; better performance; better maintainability
of code; plus some additional features that are just not possible 
when working in VB.

Plus, and this will be the nice thing; in the end maybe we can port 
to linux, hopefully with FPC...

If we can pull it off it will be huge publicity for FPC. I believe in it.
(But the time frame for this port is another matter :) )

Michael.