delphi 10

[rejetto]

hi guys,
this days i had some spare time, so first i reinitialized my Windows system after 5 years. Much better now!
Then i decided to try to go for Delphi 10.3.3, that is the latest free version (it's callled "community edition").
https://www.embarcadero.com/products/delphi/starter/free-download

After many hours I also found Rapid's topic, but too late.
Anyway, i'm probably not finished but it's somewhat working.

https://github.com/rejetto/hfs2/releases

Let me know if you find things not working please.

[SilentPliz]

Hi Boss !

thanks for the link for delphi 10.

It's good that you found some free time to post a RC with the source code.

I imagine the 'head' of your Windows after 5 years of bad treatment.

Many thanks.

[Mars]

this version of delphi can't working on Windows XP 

license is limited to 1 year

Some patches  https://developpeur-pascal.fr/p/___00c-les-patchs-a-installer-sur-la-version-rio-1033-de-delphi-c-builder-et-rad-studio.html

[LeoNeeson]

Then i decided to try to go for Delphi 10.3.3, that is the latest free version (it's callled "community edition").

Happy to have some news from you!

this version of delphi can't working on Windows XP 

Sadly, I can confirm this...

I also use Windows XP daily (on machines that can't get an OS upgrade), so, I support Mars petition of keeping XP support (remember that being XP compatible, is also being ReactOS compatible).

I've tried to compile the latest sources with Delphi 2006 (to get a XP compatible executable), and it fails, with this error:

Code: [Select]

[Pascal Error] hslib.pas(302): E2004 Identifier redeclared: 'chop'
[Pascal Error] hslib.pas(307): E2004 Identifier redeclared: 'chop'
[Pascal Error] hslib.pas(317): E2003 Undeclared identifier: 'Tbytes'
[Pascal Error] hslib.pas(361): E2004 Identifier redeclared: 'includeTrailingString'
[Pascal Error] hslib.pas(501): E2008 Incompatible types
[Pascal Error] hslib.pas(514): E2008 Incompatible types
[Pascal Error] hslib.pas(536): E2003 Undeclared identifier: 'utf8ToString'
[Pascal Error] hslib.pas(562): E2003 Undeclared identifier: 'charInSet'
[Pascal Error] hslib.pas(611): E2004 Identifier redeclared: 'chop'
[Pascal Error] hslib.pas(626): E2004 Identifier redeclared: 'chop'
[Pascal Error] hslib.pas(639): E2004 Identifier redeclared: 'chopLine'
[Pascal Fatal Error] hfs.dpr(51): F2063 Could not compile used unit 'hslib.pas'
Besides that, your Delphi 10 executable is twice the size of hfs24rc4 (50% bigger), but this is not something as important as keeping backwards compatibility. The drapid's HFS compilation also has 'draw' (graphical) issues on XP (only the menu is working, but the rest of the GUI interface is not usable), but at least using his version the server runs fine (I have not thoroughly tested).

Let me know if you find things not working please.

Warning: using latest HFS 2.4rc5 (302), if you are upgrading, your old VFS file could get corrupted! This is the error I've got once, when HFS starts:



Then, this is how the GUI looks like on XP:



And the server doesn't work, if you try to open: http://localhost/

license is limited to 1 year

Summarizing (and take this only as suggestion, not a request), if I were Rejetto, I would give the 'jump' to Lazarus v2.0.6 which is the latest version being XP compatible, and is much modern than using the old Delphi 2006 (Lazarus has unicode support available since Lazarus v1.6.0). Lazarus uses FPC (Free Pascal Compiler), and it's mature enough to be as good as any other commercial compiler. So, besides getting unicode support, I don't see why upgrading to Delphi 10 would be beneficial (well, anyway is Rejetto's choice, he is the boss, and he has the fiinal word on this, and I respect it).

Anyway, I truly appreciate your effort of keeping HFS updated, and thanks for releasing the complete sources of 2.4. As last resource, I think I could compile the source by myself, but only if you keep the sources compatible with Delphi 2006 (I would be happy if you do this).

Well, I hope this can be somewhat sorted, or v2.4 will be the end for some of us...

Cheers,
Leo.-

[SilentPliz]

Probable answers to the choice of rejetto:

http://docwiki.embarcadero.com/RADStudio/Rio/en/10.3_Rio_-_Release_3

The evolution of hfs will be more convincing with a more 'modern' delphi...
We can always continue as much as possible the 'forks' of hfs with delphi 2006.

Not all the libraries necessary to compile hfs are available with Lazarus ... this is the case for the release I am publishing... too many transpositions would be required currently.

[LeoNeeson]

The evolution of hfs will be more convincing with a more 'modern' delphi...
We can always continue as much as possible the 'forks' of hfs with delphi 2006.

I totally agree. I always had in my mind that sooner or later a 'fork' would be needed for legacy systems (like Windows XP). It's OK for me having a fork (or compiling my own version, in case it's required). But currently, for legacy systems we still have your own version, so, for as long you keep compiling it with the old Delphi, there is an alternative for those with old systems (like Mars and myself)

On a second thought, after all, I hope this modern evolution of HFS would bring (somewhere in the future) the long-awaited native SSL support for all the users. I'm not against the normal evolution of HFS (if I've said 'I would choose Lazarus', that was only my personal preference, but I'm OK with whatever decision Rejetto takes).

Well, anyone tested HFS v2.4 RC5 on Windows 7? I guess that would be the new absolute minimum required operating system of HFS 2.4, right? It would be nice to get confirmation if the VFS gets corrupted (or not) in Windows 7, or if it only happens on XP (to make sure and discard that this is not a new bug introduced on this build).

Leaving that issue with XP behind, I'm happy to see HFS v2.4 is getting closer to have a stable release. Anther good thing, is that the new HFS v2.4 RC5 had zero false positives, so the antivirus now are happy with HFS (see here).

Cheers,
Leo.-

[LeoNeeson]

@Rejetto: Do you have RC4 sources? so we can see what changed on RC5. If you please can share it with us here, we could compile it with the old Delphi. That way, we could add ourselves the RC5 changes (because RC5 sources can't be compiled with old Delphi). Since RC4 was the last version working on XP, it will be extremely useful to keep track of new changes you could include on successive versions. (Thanks!)

[rejetto]

find attached the changes of rc4

[rejetto]

this porting to delphi 10 was made mainly because of the unicode and to use something more modern.
There was also no other free delphi versions for like 10 years, so i had not much choice because i don't want to use a non-free version.
In the past I already tried to move to a modern delphi, but I could never see the light at the end of the tunnel, too long, so i gave up.
It took me several days this time, and it was possible because at this very moment I have a stop with my job. It may happen again in 10 years.

Unicode support is still not working, didn't work on it yet, i had first to make the rest work. I gave a look anyway and expect it to be not far.

The delphi 10 IDE is quite disappointing in features and bugs.

I didn't think it could break XP compatibility for HFS. I wonder if that cannot be fixed somehow, but I cannot make this attempt myself.
Since my time for HFS is so insufficient i cannot split it on 2 forks, because that would ditch the project. So, if in the end an XP fork is to be, someone else should.
This is all an experiment now, but i hope to not have to go back unless i find something better.

I'm now downloading lazarus and maybe will give it a try, but i cannot spend another week in porting, so i hope that will be smooth.

[rejetto]

i had to disable the translation system, the one we added recently, as it was not compatible

[SilentPliz]

@rejetto

Your release seems to work on Windows 7 full edition (all menus are present)...
but, I did not manage to login (locally) with FF & Chrome...
and the password field in hfs Others Options > users account is inaccessible (invisible).

We cannot therefore create accounts with password.
           
For the password field, this does not to be serious, it is enough not to hide it any more
when there is no account selected.

@all

Also remember that: 'Windows 7 support ended on January 14, 2020'
Does this hold any unpleasant surprises for us ... Who knows?

Edit: rejetto wrote:

i had to disable the translation system, the one we added recently, as it was not compatible

Not very good news ... the feature was recently there in your release. 

[rejetto]

i made an attempt with lazarus, but i'm stuck trying to compile ICS with fpc.
if anyone is willing to make this other porting i will see what i can do, at the moment my spirit is already worn out by delphi10.

If/when i have more time i would like to try to see if i can use delphi's socket lib instead of ics, and have less dependencies.

i'm going to see if i can fix the unicode now

[bmartino1]

this version of delphi can't working on Windows XP 

license is limited to 1 year

Some patches  https://developpeur-pascal.fr/p/___00c-les-patchs-a-installer-sur-la-version-rio-1033-de-delphi-c-builder-et-rad-studio.html

https://www.componentsource.com/search/product/Windows%20Xp?f%5B0%5D=pt%3A910966
Release Notes: XP compatibility (even though the platform is not officially supported).
looks like a missing dll file
https://stackoverflow.com/questions/48096527/delphi-tokyo-10-2-2-packages-do-not-load-at-runtime-in-win-xp
https://github.com/ccy/WS2_32_XP

[SilentPliz]

@rejetto

Are you used ICS-V8.58 (Nov, 2018)... it's the good build for Delphi Rio.

Edit for bmartino1:
Unofficial support for xp is valable for Tokyo relelease, not for Rio release it seem.
The changes are more profound with this release.

[rejetto]

i already got presenting and downloading of unicode files working. Now i'll work on saving in VFS files.
https://github.com/rejetto/hfs2/commit/384d2d10f437d2cd34f88888a39a98b77e382b1c

@bmartino1: leo is having not an error message but all screwed, i think it's a different problem

@silentpliz: i'm already using 8.58