Anyone got any experience of Auto code convertors...
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Hi All, We as a company are reliant on several pieces of software that were written in Delphi now the only machine that can update them is hidden under a desk that only a select few know of. At least one of the Gurus who wrote the software has since died, several have left the firm, there is one bit that is crucial that will only run XP Service Pack 2 and nothing higher. A bit of Googling and there is a tool to do it [Delphi to C# Conversion - Ispirer](https://www.ispirer.com/application-conversion/delphi-to-dotnet) has anyone tried it know of another... I trying to avoid problems... :) UPDATE: Speaking to the Delphi guru, it uses all sorts of third party interface to make life easier and non-convertible. :sigh: well it's better than nothing...
I use them daily and am writing one. They depend greatly on the power and flexibility of target language. Most do a terrible job at preserving comments and don’t try and do well on simple code. The better ones give up when they find something they don’t understand or do a partial translation leaving the original code as a comment. The bad ones just translate to garbage that will not compile. On evolving languages like C# translators have trouble keeping up. On dead languages they are usually very good and going to C# is a plus since it is very powerful and has many features you need.
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They have good reason to stick.
Yup. The one person I know who does Delphi gets paid well above the market rate, to the extent that he can't afford to bail for a newer platform, for being one of 8(? unless there's another user than his employer) people in his city who still use the stuff. The gotcha is that the lack of any plan B that'd sustain his current lifestyle if his current employer ever goes under is a huge stressor. :doh:
Did you ever see history portrayed as an old man with a wise brow and pulseless heart, weighing all things in the balance of reason? Is not rather the genius of history like an eternal, imploring maiden, full of fire, with a burning heart and flaming soul, humanly warm and humanly beautiful? --Zachris Topelius Training a telescope on one’s own belly button will only reveal lint. You like that? You go right on staring at it. I prefer looking at galaxies. -- Sarah Hoyt
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Hi All, We as a company are reliant on several pieces of software that were written in Delphi now the only machine that can update them is hidden under a desk that only a select few know of. At least one of the Gurus who wrote the software has since died, several have left the firm, there is one bit that is crucial that will only run XP Service Pack 2 and nothing higher. A bit of Googling and there is a tool to do it [Delphi to C# Conversion - Ispirer](https://www.ispirer.com/application-conversion/delphi-to-dotnet) has anyone tried it know of another... I trying to avoid problems... :) UPDATE: Speaking to the Delphi guru, it uses all sorts of third party interface to make life easier and non-convertible. :sigh: well it's better than nothing...
Since the converter you link to has a free demo license available, get it and give it a try. That's the best way to see what will happen. I do agree with the general answer here though: It would probably be better, faster, cheaper to just rewrite in the new target language.
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Hi All, We as a company are reliant on several pieces of software that were written in Delphi now the only machine that can update them is hidden under a desk that only a select few know of. At least one of the Gurus who wrote the software has since died, several have left the firm, there is one bit that is crucial that will only run XP Service Pack 2 and nothing higher. A bit of Googling and there is a tool to do it [Delphi to C# Conversion - Ispirer](https://www.ispirer.com/application-conversion/delphi-to-dotnet) has anyone tried it know of another... I trying to avoid problems... :) UPDATE: Speaking to the Delphi guru, it uses all sorts of third party interface to make life easier and non-convertible. :sigh: well it's better than nothing...
Having been down this road with various languages over the years, my advice is this: Hire a really smart software engineer (not just a coder) who can figure most anything out on their own. The best ones to look for are former Navy Nucs who became software engineers. You will get better conversion results in about the same time you could auto-convert, clean up the conversion, fix all the OOA/OOP mistakes, fix any inherited bugs, and get a production version out.
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Having been down this road with various languages over the years, my advice is this: Hire a really smart software engineer (not just a coder) who can figure most anything out on their own. The best ones to look for are former Navy Nucs who became software engineers. You will get better conversion results in about the same time you could auto-convert, clean up the conversion, fix all the OOA/OOP mistakes, fix any inherited bugs, and get a production version out.
Problem is Budget, every one wants new toys, only those working on new flashy things get it. Despite our side of the business keeping every one going a few years ago. :sigh:
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Hi All, We as a company are reliant on several pieces of software that were written in Delphi now the only machine that can update them is hidden under a desk that only a select few know of. At least one of the Gurus who wrote the software has since died, several have left the firm, there is one bit that is crucial that will only run XP Service Pack 2 and nothing higher. A bit of Googling and there is a tool to do it [Delphi to C# Conversion - Ispirer](https://www.ispirer.com/application-conversion/delphi-to-dotnet) has anyone tried it know of another... I trying to avoid problems... :) UPDATE: Speaking to the Delphi guru, it uses all sorts of third party interface to make life easier and non-convertible. :sigh: well it's better than nothing...
Take the hard drive out; add it to a new machine; run it as a D: drive (or E: etc.). Run compatibility mode (when necessary). Add a Win 7 or 8 virtual machine if necessary. Get the latest Delphi compiler.
"(I) am amazed to see myself here rather than there ... now rather than then". ― Blaise Pascal
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Hi All, We as a company are reliant on several pieces of software that were written in Delphi now the only machine that can update them is hidden under a desk that only a select few know of. At least one of the Gurus who wrote the software has since died, several have left the firm, there is one bit that is crucial that will only run XP Service Pack 2 and nothing higher. A bit of Googling and there is a tool to do it [Delphi to C# Conversion - Ispirer](https://www.ispirer.com/application-conversion/delphi-to-dotnet) has anyone tried it know of another... I trying to avoid problems... :) UPDATE: Speaking to the Delphi guru, it uses all sorts of third party interface to make life easier and non-convertible. :sigh: well it's better than nothing...
Which version of Delphi are you using? What 3rd party controls are tying it down to XP SP2? How big is the application? Database requirements? Generally code converters do not do well with 3rd party controls & you need somebody that understands the Delphi environment and C# that you are converting it to.
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Hi All, We as a company are reliant on several pieces of software that were written in Delphi now the only machine that can update them is hidden under a desk that only a select few know of. At least one of the Gurus who wrote the software has since died, several have left the firm, there is one bit that is crucial that will only run XP Service Pack 2 and nothing higher. A bit of Googling and there is a tool to do it [Delphi to C# Conversion - Ispirer](https://www.ispirer.com/application-conversion/delphi-to-dotnet) has anyone tried it know of another... I trying to avoid problems... :) UPDATE: Speaking to the Delphi guru, it uses all sorts of third party interface to make life easier and non-convertible. :sigh: well it's better than nothing...
I did a similar project, going from Pascal to C two years ago, about 20,000 LOC. I developed a set of C macros that simulated much of Pascal, E.g., "IF" and "If" translated to the C "if". Then went through it by hand to fix the things that couldn't be handled with macros. Conversion was done under the Qt environment and now the app runs on both Windows and Linux. Took about 500 hours to complete with testing. Wasn't esoteric, but got the job done and protected the logic and user GUI from changes. PM me if your interested in more info.
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Hi All, We as a company are reliant on several pieces of software that were written in Delphi now the only machine that can update them is hidden under a desk that only a select few know of. At least one of the Gurus who wrote the software has since died, several have left the firm, there is one bit that is crucial that will only run XP Service Pack 2 and nothing higher. A bit of Googling and there is a tool to do it [Delphi to C# Conversion - Ispirer](https://www.ispirer.com/application-conversion/delphi-to-dotnet) has anyone tried it know of another... I trying to avoid problems... :) UPDATE: Speaking to the Delphi guru, it uses all sorts of third party interface to make life easier and non-convertible. :sigh: well it's better than nothing...
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Hi All, We as a company are reliant on several pieces of software that were written in Delphi now the only machine that can update them is hidden under a desk that only a select few know of. At least one of the Gurus who wrote the software has since died, several have left the firm, there is one bit that is crucial that will only run XP Service Pack 2 and nothing higher. A bit of Googling and there is a tool to do it [Delphi to C# Conversion - Ispirer](https://www.ispirer.com/application-conversion/delphi-to-dotnet) has anyone tried it know of another... I trying to avoid problems... :) UPDATE: Speaking to the Delphi guru, it uses all sorts of third party interface to make life easier and non-convertible. :sigh: well it's better than nothing...
This will probably be of no help . . . but just in case . . . There's a free pascal compiler for Linux called Free Pascal ( Free Pascal - Advanced open source Pascal compiler for Pascal and Object Pascal - Home Page[^]) which if it does what you need could buy you some time. There's also an IDE called Lazarus which claims to include a converter (Lazarus Homepage[^]). I would agree with some of the other posters though - usually the converted code still needs a lot of work.
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Hi All, We as a company are reliant on several pieces of software that were written in Delphi now the only machine that can update them is hidden under a desk that only a select few know of. At least one of the Gurus who wrote the software has since died, several have left the firm, there is one bit that is crucial that will only run XP Service Pack 2 and nothing higher. A bit of Googling and there is a tool to do it [Delphi to C# Conversion - Ispirer](https://www.ispirer.com/application-conversion/delphi-to-dotnet) has anyone tried it know of another... I trying to avoid problems... :) UPDATE: Speaking to the Delphi guru, it uses all sorts of third party interface to make life easier and non-convertible. :sigh: well it's better than nothing...
Get a contemporary Delphi license, install the IDE on a modern machine, most of the ancient Delphi code will compile just fine in a modern Delphi IDE.