dummzeuch

So you are saying that Elon Musk and those highly intelligent and capable people who work for him at DOGE don't know what they are talking about when they say they can convert the large COBOL code base to Java in months using AI? Or does that only apply if COBOL is the target language?

The venerable Delphi IDE extension GExperts is about to undergo a revolutionary transformation, with plans announced to completely rewrite it using artificial intelligence and simultaneously port it to COBOL. This unexpected development marks a significant shift for a tool that has been a staple in the Delphi programming community for decades. The AI Rewrite: Starting Now The development team has just announced their decision to leverage artificial intelligence for the rewrite after facing increasing challenges maintaining the extensive codebase. What’s remarkable is the anticipated timeline – the team expects the entire process to take only a few hours once it begins. This unprecedented speed is attributed to advancements in AI code transformation technology. The AI system will analyze the entire GExperts source code, understanding its purpose, functionality, and even the quirks that make it uniquely useful to Delphi developers – all in a fraction of the time it would take human developers. Why COBOL? Perhaps the most surprising aspect of this transformation is the announced port to COBOL. This decision has raised eyebrows among the development community, as Delphi and COBOL represent dramatically different programming paradigms and eras. However, the team cites strategic reasoning behind this choice. COBOL continues to power critical systems in banking, insurance, and government sectors worldwide. This port will open GExperts to an entirely new ecosystem, potentially breathing new life into the project while serving developers maintaining legacy systems. Expected Timeline The project has not yet begun, but development is scheduled to start immediately. With the AI-powered transformation expected to take only a few hours from start to finish, the team anticipates having a functional COBOL version of GExperts available for testing within days rather than the months or years such a port would traditionally require. Looking Forward For developers interested in this innovative crossover, beta releases are expected to be available remarkably soon, with the team promising updates on the progress within the next 24 hours. This bold reinvention of GExperts, once completed, will demonstrate how established developer tools can evolve in unexpected ways, leveraging new technologies to reach broader audiences while maintaining their core value proposition. (Yes, AI is great! Even for writing April Fools jokes. Thanks to Claude.ai writing this only took a few minutes and it actually sounds like a press release some cool cloud AI blockchain outfit could have written.) Original blog post here.

Thank you, but I am confident in using AI for the conversion. I'll call Elon Musk at DOGE for advice if necessary.

There is actually a connection between COBOLand Delphi: The company formerly known as Borland, who originally developed Delphi, was sold to Microfocus after spinning off the development tools to CodeGear. Microfocus was well known for Microfocus COBOL, which nowadays is called Visual COBOL and possibly includes some technologies Microfocus acquired in this process. But the real reason I came up with COBOL was the announced intention of DOGE to port the COBOL software to Java using AI in just a few months. So, if they succeed, we can expect to easily port the COBOL version of GExperts to Java.

How do you think the following should be formatted? 1. Like this: type TClass = class(TObject) private FSomeField: integer; private const SomeConstant = 5; end; 2. Like this: type TClass = class(TObject) private FSomeField: integer; private const SomeConstant = 5; end; Note: This is only about code where the 'private const SomeConstant = 5;' is in one line without a line feed in between. And what about the following: 1. Like this: type TClass = class(TObject) private FSomeField: integer; private const SomeConstant = 5; FSomeOtherField: string; end; 2. Like this: type TClass = class(TObject) private FSomeField: integer; private const SomeConstant = 5; FSomeOtherField: string; end; Note: This is only about code where the 'private const SomeConstant = 5;' is in one line without a line feed in between.

Just to be clear: I'm not asking whether you like the 'private const bla=blub;' in one line syntax, but how it should be indented: 1. like 'private' on its own line -> same indentation as the class/record 2. like other constants / fields / types -> one indentation more than the class/record I assume that most (including myself) would like to split that line (whether between 'private' and 'const' or between 'const' and the identifier would be yet another point for debate.

No, I missed that one. This is a contrived example not real code, personally I always put a line feed after the visibility modifier and rather than using var I start a new visibility section.

We had Windows XP on some of our measurement vehicles until not too long ago. Working on these wasn't too bad really. I missed that I could not install some of the utilities I was used to back in the day. The main problem with using Windows XP nowadays would be that most of the current hard- and software no longer supports it.

I'll take XP back any time. From a user perspective, many of the real improvements of later Windows versions were available as add on tools for XP already. Other so called "improvements" are in fact not improvements at all. There is one notable exception: It's definitely an improvement that nowadays Windows pretty much means 64 bits and 8 Gig of RAM. There was a 64 bit version of XP too, but it wasn't widely used. As for Windows 98: I skipped that altogether, I went from Windows 3.1 (detouring over OS/2 2, 3 and 4 and even Linux for a short time) to Windows NT 4 and then XP. So Windows 95, 98 and ME just are names for me. But hey, I've only got another 8 years to retirement, so chances are that Windows 11 will be the last Windows version I have to suffer through. If I retire earlier, that would mean less years of using Windows as an added bonus. Or maybe I'll even switch careers from software development (in Delphi) to IT infrastructure, which is an important part of my current job anyway. But so far software development still is the part that's more fun.

Da das hier geklärt ist, schlage ich vor, die E-Mail Adressen in den Posts wieder zu löschen, sonst hagelt es nur unnötig Spam.

I have heard from others that they still have this problem with Delphi 12.3, but I have not seen this problem in my projects. I had it with several Projects in Delphi 10.2 though (which in turn work fine With Delphi 2007 and 12.3 though) Just an aside: GExperts has got an option in the Uses Clause Manger to look up the Unit that contains an identifier declaration (e.g. a Class type, but not a method) and open that unit with the cursor set to the line that contains this declaration. That's not quite the same functionality, but it might mitigate your problem a little bit.

With my particular monitor setup, the Desktop feature of the Delphi 11 and 12 IDE does not work correctly. The Startup Desktop is not restored as I saved it, on my high def monitor on the left hand side, but instead covers both monitors with huge window. I reported this problem to Embarcadero ages ago. The problem still exists in the recently released Delphi 12.3 (where I reported it again during the beta test phase). As I plan to switch to Delphi 12 in the medium future, I have now invested some more hours and added a workaround to GExperts that fixes the problem for me. It's in the current source code (revision #4466) in unit GX_ReselectDesktop, in case anybody is interested. I hope it does not break other people's installations. https://blog.dummzeuch.de/2025/03/16/gexperts-now-fixes-yet-another-annoyance-in-the-delphi-ide-desktops/

You need the Access Database Engine 2012 (or later, if it exists). I don't remember where I got it from, but a quick Google search just gave me this link to Microsoft.

That's the problem when talking to non native speakers. They might use words that in their mind mean something very different than in yours. I've definitely been there and done that.

Other companies (e.g. Steema (TeeChart)) have offered me remote assistance via TeamViewer (their choice, not mine) with a compilation / installation problem. Embarcadero could do something similar at least for customers with subscription and "Platinum support" to track down this annoying problem. We do not have Platinum support, but if we had and could reproduce this problem reliably, I would insist on something like this. Embarcadero is always bragging that they have some large enterprise customers. Customers like this should be able to pressure them to get their act together.

Oddly enough code completion stopped working for me on a large project in Delphi 10.2 while it works fine in Delphi 2007 and Delphi 12.2 and now 12.3. So it depends on the project in question.

I was just looking at the source code of the plugin and could not figure out where and how it preserves the bookmarks and breakpoints. Could you please give me a hint?

You can continue using the 32 bit IDE to compile and debug 64 bit applications.

Edit: Fixed the problem with the full screen window in revision #4468.

The registry entry for storing the "Monitor Layout" setting in Delphi 12 contains the string "Allow changing screen on any layout change". WTF? Does that really mean this setting is language dependent?

So would I. If it should be user readable (why?) they could have used the enum name rather than an integer to store the setting.

Then building your own DLL is your only option for now. I might maybe build an alpha installer for 12.3 this weekend, but don't hold your breath.

Have you tried the existing version for Delphi 12? It should work, as this is a minor release of the IDE, but I haven't tested it. Alternatively you can build your own DLL. If you are asking for a 64-bit version of GExperts: That's not going to happen any time soon, if at all.

They don't call it "Version 1", they call it "Preview"^D^D^D^D^D^D ... no, they don't that was apparently during the beta phase. Now it's "64-bit initial release" which sounds more like it should be usable. Since I haven't used it at all so far, I can't comment on whether it is.

I have a similar problem with the GExperts hotkeys. There is a bug report on SourceForge that also suggests a cause and fix for this. Unfortunately I was unable to get it to work.