Re: Delphi to Visual Studio Conversion Project

Hi,

Convert a CRM, Service management software from Delphi client/server to
Visual Studio .Net based 3-tier architecture. This will move all software
for the product to a more scalable and flexible 3-tier architecture and on
more modern Visual Studio based tools.

Converting to .Net, will as such not do anything to assist scalability and
flexibility.
Converting to n-tier/3-tier however have a huge impact on that.
That is however not something that .Net have patent on.. infact .Net is
currently imo a pretty poor choise if one wants scalability and flexibility
simply because its n-tier is far from being mature.
If the above statement should make any debatable sense regarding scalability
and flexibility, they should convert to using Java if anything else.
However for Delphi there exists several quite mature n-tier frameworks, each
with different attackangles to n-tier. One of them.. from us... kbmMW, has
alot more functionality and scalability features in it than you find in both
single .Net tools, and Java tools. You can certainly do what kbmMW does
using Java, but it will require lots of gluing black boxes together with
resulting abysmal performance, and loss of maintability and potential loss
of stability.

1) Convert from client/server architecture to 3-tier architecture to allow
more scalability and flexibility. Will also allow separate GUI that is
currently PC based to allow for web-based and mobile GUI access.

Absolutely... Dont do Client/Server applications when you make a new
application. Its almost as easy to make a n-tier application, and if the
application is to be used for more than just a few days, and there is a
'risc' that it will grow feature wise in the future, n-tier is the way to
go.

2) Convert Delphi Object Pascal code to Visual Studio based. This code be
achieved with tool such as RemObjects Chrome or converting code to C#.

There is no technical reason to convert to Visual Studio and .Net as Delphi
is just as capable (or even more capable) as VS.Net in making enterprise
class applications.
However there can be other reasons to convert like politics, easier to get
coders with a .Net stamp on their dosier etc.

3) Provide a complete solution with all functionality of our existing
product. Will delivery a complete solution on the they architecture and
platform that has no major or critical defects due to the new
architecture.

Change one parameter in something complex and you risc something not
working.
Change two parameters in something complex and your risc for something not
working increases significantly.
Change all of something complex to a new framework and new language, and you
can be sure something wont work at the beginning. Features will be lacking
etc.
However thats nothing that time and money cant solve.

Question is only if the money is well spend on doing that.

One possible approach is to convert to RemObjects Data Abstract product
for 3-tier and Chrome for Object Pascal on Visual Studio. Other
approaches will be considered such as another 3-tier architecture and
convert code from object pascal to C#.

Well.. take a look at kbmMW at www.components4developers.com
Its probably the most used 3rdparty n-tier product for Delphi today.
It can scale from a single pc, single user to setups containing thousands of
users and machines.


--
best regards
Kim Madsen
kbm@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
www.components4developers.com

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