🚀 go-pugleaf

In comp.lang.pascal.delphi.misc Anthony Lee <al012@energex.com.au> wrote:
> We have a delphi client program at work that is required
> to access a server machine. Currently it is using TCP/IP
> port and I thought this rather clumsy and not very extensible.

Well, there I am of a different opinion. 

> The server machine does have java installed although the
> server program itself is written in C. 

So you are coupling a C program to a delphi one. Then the
correct level to do this is TCP/IP. You might be able to
provide a higher level stack on both sides, but for simple
data transfer this is adequate.

> I was wondering
> whether it is possible for Delphi to talk a Java via RMI?

Of course it is possible. RMI just uses a TCP/IP port to
move serialized java objects. Does it make sense? Definitely
not. First of all you'd have to move the server from c to
java. This means a complete redesign. If you don't redesign,
you'll lose at least a factor of 10 in speed. Then you'd 
have to write a parser in delphi for RMI, and translate to
the equivalent delphi code. In the end, you'd have a very
clumsy and not very extensible system. Did I tell you about
the speed of RMI? 

> Or do I have to go to full CORBA? CORBA is problem for me
> as I believe we don't have ORB installed.

No, you don't. There is nothing clumsy and unextensible 
about TCP/IP ports. You should just standardise what you
send over them, and might want to introduce a (custom)
broker.

Stephan Eggermont
Sensus, systems that make sense