Delphi has the interface files (.int) that are included with the standard version (since you don't get the vcl source code). These contain the interface definitions for all the vcl classes. But I don't know what the copyright issues are with copying them. I don't know if we could copy them directly or not. Since they are just interfaces, I can't imagine what the difference would be if we copy them or type them ourselves :-) The only way we can be compatible with Delphi is to provide the same interfaces. So either way the interfaces will look the same. But I think someone should check before we copy them to make sure we don't break any copyrights.

I agree with creating the interfaces and them implementing them as we go. That is what I did with the TClipboard component. I just made sure I have all the same method, function and property declarations as the original and then I created blank methods. Then I will fill in the methods with code to implement them as soon as I can.

I like the idea of putting in the assert calls into the methods so we can easily tell what methods haven't been done yet.

Curtis

Alexandre Grenier wrote

Just saying hi!

Howdy!! ;-)

I'm new to the list, I think Lazarus is a great idea! I am glad to see that even though Kylix is coming, it is not stopping you guys from making something free!

There is a big difference between Kylix and what we are doing. First off Kylix will most likely not use a true Pascal compiler. Yeah it will compile pascal code but in FPC case it is a pascal compiler built with pascal. Somewhat more impressive. I also doubt that Borland will make their Linux version of the VCL as API independent as we are striving to do.

hopefully be able to lend a hand in making Lazarus a reality!

The more the merrier!

I also hope it will grow in its very own direction, and not be an exact copy of kylix.

As indicated above it won't be like of course they copy what WE are doing. ;-)

So how far are you guys? How soon before we get something usable?

Well it all depends on what you mean by "... something usable". Many parts of the LCL have already been built and are usable. One of the first things we want to build application wise is the IDE to use to build FPC GUI applications. To that end mwedit is being used as a building block to creat the editor. This has meant that some of the internals dealing with windproc and handles and canvas had to be juggled around. This has broken or delayed some of the work that was going on. However given the reports from Shane and Marc they are very close to getting to the point of having a visible result of the mwedit conversion. I'm sure they can use all the help they can get. :-)

+ From: ]On

+ On Mon, 29 Nov 1999, Curtis White wrote:
+
+ > Delphi has the interface files (.int) that are included
+ > with the standard
+ > version (since you don't get the vcl source code). These
+ > contain the interface
+ > definitions for all the vcl classes. But I don't know what
+ > the copyright issues
+ > are with copying them. I don't know if we could copy them
+ > directly or not. Since
+ > they are just interfaces, I can't imagine what the
+ > difference would be if we
+ > copy them or type them ourselves :-) The only way we can be
+ > compatible
+ > with Delphi is to provide the same interfaces. So either
+ > way the interfaces
+ > will look the same. But I think someone should check before
+ > we copy them to
+ > make sure we don't break any copyrights.
+
+ The interface declarations also have a copyright statement in
+ them, so it's unclear what to do.
+
After reading the licence.txt, I think it's not allowed to copy them.

----- part of licence.txt ------------
...
All Inprise libraries, source code, Redistributables and other files remain Inprise's exclusive property. Regardless of any modifications that you make, you may not distribute any files (particularly Inprise source code and other non- executable files) except those that Inprise has expressly designated as Redistributables. Nothing in the License Agreement permits you to derive the source code of files that Inprise has provided to you in executable form only, or to reproduce, modify, use, or distribute the source code of such files. You are not, of course, restricted from ...
---------------------------------------

Since the interface files aren't Redistributables, we better don't copy them

Marc

Just saying hi!

I'm new to the list, I think Lazarus is a great idea! I am glad to see that even though Kylix is coming, it is not stopping you guys from making something free!

I only installed Linux very recently and still have to learn much of it, but I have programming experience using delphi itself.. so I will hopefully be able to lend a hand in making Lazarus a reality!

I also hope it will grow in its very own direction, and not be an exact copy of kylix. The fact that it's open source and that all Lazarus programmers will be able to contribute to it one way or another simply puts the whole project above everything else.. just like the GNU Project itself.

So how far are you guys? How soon before we get something usable?

Alex

--------------------------------------------------- Powered by Bell Canada / Commandit� par Bell Canada http://www.bell.ca/

Can't we first create all the interface declarations of the VCL and implement dummy methodes with assert() calls that it needs implementing?

the interface things could then be placed in buttonsh.inc etc.

Are there any Delphi files from which we can extract this info without having the copyright issue?

Peter

The interface declarations also have a copyright statement in them, so it's unclear what to do.

Michael.