An alterative may be to use citrix.  That is what I do with one of my apps.  
It's a windows app, but we installed it onto a citrix server.  People can then 
log into a website and run the application.  There is no change required for 
the application, but you need to have a citrix server + licenses etc.

We use Metaframe but I think the product is now called XenApp or XenDesktop.  
www.citrix.com

Regards

Sean Cross
CIO
Catalyst Risk Management

From: delphi-boun...@delphi.org.nz [mailto:delphi-boun...@delphi.org.nz] On 
Behalf Of Charlie
Sent: Tuesday, 1 September 2009 12:03 p.m.
To: 'NZ Borland Developers Group - Delphi List'
Subject: Re: [DUG] BDS2006 or Rad 2007 & the web

Thanks Sean. I guess I need to clarify at least one of my questions.


1)    I essentially have no database experience except for dBase, Paradox and 
Access. If I eventually want to have this application so that customers could 
enter orders on the web what do you recommend I consider for a database
Not those!
Sql Server Express (free for the db size you are likely to need, use the dbGo 
components that come with Delphi) or Firebird.  I use SQL server for nearly 
everything.
I have worked some with Sql Server 2005 - I'm pretty sure it is the "free" 
version. Will look at that option again.
What are your feelings about MySql?

2)    My customer would like for his customers to be able to access the 
application to determine the status of their orders. What have you found that 
enables concurrent users to do this?
Not quite sure what you mean here.  Web apps are concurrent by nature.  Desktop 
apps on different computers can both access the db at the same time providing 
you have a suitable database.
Here I mean having customers access the Win32 application by logging into the 
company's server upon which (some how) a query would be run to retrieve and 
display open orders for that customer that logged in. By concurrent I mean that 
multiple external customers would be able to access a view of their open orders 
at the same time.

3)    Has anyone been able to take a Win32 application and make in work as a 
web application? Where do I start? What version of Delphi do I use? What 
database? Was the conversion process very time consuming and costly?
It depends on how well you wrote the original  app :).  If all the data access 
is done on datamodules, then it is much easier than if the data access 
components are on forms.  Either way, you are starting a new application and 
trying to reuse as much as possible rather than converting the original app.
Unfortunately datamodules were not used with the original application so the 
data access components are on the forms. While it wouldn't be a hard thing to 
change it certainly will be time intensive to move the components to a data 
module or reassign a new database to all of those components. Then of course if 
I move to ADO components then that'll be challenging I'm sure. Really don't 
have any idea how to pursue that conversion; that is to ADO.

4)    I have tried viewing and studying the demos/examples that came with my 
versions of Delphi to learn how to create a web application. I guess I'm dense 
but I'm having a difficult time with these. A few months ago I had the 
opportunity to work some with Visual Studio. I found tons of tutorial videos 
and examples that help tremendously with the learning curve. I haven't found 
that with the Delphi examples that I have. Does anyone have any recommendations?
Look at Intraweb aka VCL for the web.  It is the easiest for what you want to 
do.  You will still need to recreate the ui, but you may be able to keep the 
data modules.  Use the latest version of Delphi that you can.
I'll look at the costs of Delphi 2009/2010 as well as any updating of the 
Intraweb VCL. If there is some way to "keep the underlying logic" then 
recreating the UI doesn't stress me too much. But then as I said, I a fledgling 
Delphi programmer.

5)    All I am is a guy that always wanted to be a programmer but never really 
had the opportunity to program day in and day out. So I'm always in these huge 
learning curves. I sincerely appreciate any suggestions you can give me.
Thank you so much,
Charlie


Charlie Kerscher
'A Magisterium Faithful Catholic'
Williamson GA
Cell: 770.468.1757

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