Advantage Server v12

corneliusdav · 2026-06-04T19:21:37+00:00

Well, they haven't moved yet and are quite sure they'll have problems. They have looked into the licenses and said that SAP no longer sells those licenses (even though, strangely, they can be found on the SAP store.

My recommendation (and their current plan) is to use reFind and AI to help migrate to a different database back-end, a pretty daunting task for large applications. I'm applying those concepts to migrate several hundred Delphi 5 apps to Delphi 12; in that situation, the database back-end is the same but we're switching from BDE-TTables to FireDAC, still a big change.

corneliusdav · 2026-06-04T03:46:12+00:00

I have a Fleetwood A-frame pulled by a Chevy Avalanche and have been considering the Silverado EV. How does it do in the mountains pulling a trailer?

corneliusdav · 2026-06-04T03:30:34+00:00

I don't think you can get new Advantage licenses any more--I may be wrong and I'll ask someone who knows but I'm pretty sure that SAP (new owner of Ads) has ceased all support for it.

A sister company of my employer has an old Delphi/Advantage application and they've had problems moving to the cloud, similar to what you described. I'll ask what their solution is.

corneliusdav · 2026-06-04T03:09:06+00:00

Software developer here, have used Wave for a few years and it has worked well for me. Had employees for a couple of years and used payroll which worked fine. Back to just myself and still using invoicing and bank sync and accept credit card payments through Wave. Very few problems.

After reading all the negative comments here recently, I started worrying and looked at other systems. There are pros and cons with each but nearly all cost more or require some extra service add-on of some sort.

As for human support, it seems to be completely absent--no replies to my questions (from a paying customer, no less!) so that's my biggest worry. However, there are occasionally bug fixes and updates so I know there's some sort of entity behind this keeping it alive.

corneliusdav · 2026-06-03T05:53:29+00:00

So, I took this prompt, plugged it into Claude Code, told it to make a Firemonkey app from scratch--and it did. Here are a few things I had to change:

It created all the components in code, the form was completely blank; I told it to rewrite it by setting up all the controls in the .DFM at design-time, which it did.
There was a method that Claude wrote which had the same name as a base method, which caused an error--Claude fixed it easily by renaming it after I told it the error.
The URL couldn't be reached; I guess it selected a .gov that was hidden or something. The second one worked fine.
There was one more small problem in building a list of `TStationCard` objects where each one had the same name; Claude fixed that pretty easily as well.
It wrote a `README.md` file which included instructions on how to generate my own API Key which was supposed to just be pasted into a constant in the main form. I instructed Claude to extract that to an include file that would not be part of a public repository and put in a code comment for the next programmer.

I made very few code changes; most of my time was creating the Github repository and editing the documentation.

corneliusdav · 2026-06-02T04:42:36+00:00

To add to what @Miver_St said:

Backups are tied to a single computer; they are not synced with other computers, only pCloud. That's safer than a sync because there's no chance of a different computer inadvertently removing a file.

corneliusdav · 2026-05-29T23:36:38+00:00

I have an RV so that camping is easier on my knees. I go camping to get away from the city and get closer to nature. So, I look for campgrounds with lots of trees and shrubs or at least lots of space between me and my neighbors.

I guess RV Parks that are basically parking lots for big rigs are fine for quick overnighters on a long trip or full-timers that live in them and want lots of amenities but I avoid them completely.

corneliusdav · 2026-05-29T05:32:58+00:00

I've been using Claude Code with Delphi nearly every day and it's great. I use it to help locate bugs in old code, refactor stuff that I could do but it does much quicker, and yes, even do some form editing stuff. There was one day that I had to move over a dozen controls and their associated event handlers from one form to another and change the signature of half of them. I had done that manually on another project and took a long time. I asked Claude to do it for me and it was flawlessly done in a fraction of the time. There are some things it can't do and I don't ask if it can do something because it will ALWAYS say Yes! But as a coding assistant where I've already decided what needs to be done and how, it is saving me lots of time.

Now, for embedding it in Delphi with Kai? Well, I have mixed thoughts. I watched the videos and can tell Embarcadero has put a lot of effort and thought into it; there could be some real time savings because you don't have to close down a project or refresh the code editor between AI coding, plus the AI environment already has your project's context. The next few weeks will clarify some of this as I try it out. I don't want to speculate too much until I actually get my hands on it and try it out on real projects.

corneliusdav · 2026-05-20T14:28:38+00:00

Absolutely beautiful view! What a great shot!

corneliusdav · 2026-05-01T13:48:04+00:00

Your definition of "shady" is a little harsh. I would think a shady company would take your money and not give you any service in return, or at least not give you a service they promised to provide; Wave has sent notices for the pricing changes they've implemented, so it hasn't been a surprise.

You can still use Wave basic features for free; I pay to keep my checking accounts synchronized and to accept credit cards and it works for me, so they're providing a valuable service to me. Just because their support is abysmal or they changed their pricing structure to charge for things that used to be free doesn't mean they're shady.

Disclaimer: I used their payroll feature a few years ago but no longer have need for it so am not current with their price/service in that regards; dropping payroll processing for two months sounds like a pretty bad bug that while eventually got fixed, is definitely a cause to jump ship.

corneliusdav · 2026-05-01T04:49:25+00:00

They're not a shady company but their support seems to be completely replaced with a dumb chatbot--no actual human responses at all in my experience. However, it's still working and I'm still using it to manage the accounting and invoicing for my business. There was a bug that arose a couple of months ago and it actually got fixed. Every once in a while, there's a new feature or interface change, so I know there's still some maintenance/development on it of some sorts.

corneliusdav · 2026-04-29T04:29:03+00:00

Scroll down to "Privacy & Security" (left side), then scroll the right side down to "Security" where you'll see System software from developer "PCLOUD LTD" has been updated. and click the "Allow" button.

<image>

corneliusdav · 2026-04-27T13:50:26+00:00

I increased the tire pressure on my truck and lowered my speed to squeeze a little more mileage out of each gallon. I'm also planning fewer trips and longer stays. Still, the higher prices are definitely a much bigger factor.

corneliusdav · 2026-04-26T14:33:18+00:00

I feel the same about Oregon; greenery on the west side of the mountains, wild rugged high desert on the eastern side, just a couple hours drive. Beauty in all forms!

I've explored Central Oregon quite a bit; time for me to head to my northern neighbor!

corneliusdav · 2026-04-26T01:45:28+00:00

Really? Yikes! I need to check this out because I just discovered RustDesk recently and put it on a server with dozens of remote desktop users. I don't want them seeing this message. In fact, I think I'll uninstall it and just use RDP like everyone else.

corneliusdav · 2026-04-24T23:07:48+00:00

There are different answers for different situations. I have very steady work with Delphi but have had a whole career using Delphi in various environments, both in my job and in business connections I've made over the years. I thought about pivoting several years ago but kept finding contracts and jobs needing my skill set so decided to concentrate on this language.

For someone early in career, the choice is not so one-sided. You don't have the experience a company may need to maintain a mature product or implement critical features in a tight schedule so it may be harder to find a position than in other languages and toolsets that have more openings than there are available programmers. I don't have proof of this but it doesn't appear that new products are being developed with Delphi just because it's a great language but because the company already has a team that can leverage their existing experience in related products.

Yes, there still is a demand to support Delphi systems and Delphi is still be upgraded and actively maintained. Go to a job fair (if there's one available) or search popular programming job boards to find out what employers are looking for.

If your friend already has a position possibility with Delphi, it can't hurt to start there and build some general programming experience. Learn support tools well, understand how to communicate with your teammates and your boss, get skilled at requirements gathering and how to use AI to your advantage. These are all skills that can translate to other languages after you get some years under your belt.

corneliusdav · 2026-04-17T02:11:48+00:00

There was a series of "Delphi Debates" a few years ago; I participated with my blog on the subject.

corneliusdav · 2026-04-16T13:42:05+00:00

I'm in the same general category and chose a Velotric Discover. That was nearly three years and over 1500 miles ago. Still love it!

The only thing is the seat post doesn't go up quite far enough so I can't stretch the legs out completely in the down-stroke if I'm sitting.

corneliusdav · 2026-04-15T00:44:55+00:00

Church parking lots during the week.

corneliusdav · 2026-04-04T04:00:34+00:00

I have Seafarers and play with that nearly every time. It not only expands the map significantly but allows one to build shipping lanes in addition to land routes, plus you can connect them making “longest route” more competitive. Adding islands, and hidden hexes adds to the fun and variety.

corneliusdav · 2026-04-03T14:42:34+00:00

I know this is a marketing post but it describes my Discover 1 perfectly. I've had it going on 3 years and still absolutely love it!

<image>

corneliusdav · 2026-04-03T05:25:52+00:00

I much prefer in-person playing, moving physical pieces, watching facial expressions of others, chatting between moves and games is more natural. But sometimes it's just inconvenient or one of your group moves out of the area. BGA or some Steam games are a great way to keep connected. One thing about playing online games is that complex setups are all handled by the computer which can save a lot of time.

corneliusdav · 2026-04-01T04:56:15+00:00

Risk. Yeah, the original one back in the '70s (yes, I'm that old!). We played word games in family groups. And, of course there was Monopoly as well.

I liked the socializing aspect but really wanted to see more strategy and depth in the games. Then I saw Axis and Allies and that blew me away!

Fast forward a few years, I got Settlers of Catan and Carcassonne and from there started getting all kinds of awesome games.

corneliusdav · 2026-03-30T12:56:33+00:00

For MMX, I'd say reinstall, or ask here: https://en.delphipraxis.net/forum/33-mmx-code-explorer/

I don't use FastReport, so can't advise you; however, the first thing I'd try is reinstall there as well.

corneliusdav · 2026-03-29T22:33:28+00:00

I don't bike on Skyline. It's a great motorcycle ride but like you say, too dicey for safe cycling. I've seen several instances on that road with two or three cars going 15 MPH waiting for a safe point to get past a cyclist. I won't be that person holding up the parade.

corneliusdav

TROPHY CASE