I talked With Grok3

[Silvio.Falconi]

I talked With Grok3 this evening and I ask of know Fivewin and Harbour, so Grok3 answered me this....

Harbour is an open-source and cross-platform compiler that inherits and modernizes the Clipper language, born in the 80s for database-based management applications (especially in DOS). Harbour is designed to be 100% backwards compatible with Clipper, but adds modern features such as:
Support for current operating systems (Windows, Linux, macOS, etc.).

Object-oriented programming (OOP).

Native management of .DBF files (dBase database).

Integration with external libraries and C/C++ code.

Ability to create GUI (graphical user interfaces) and web applications through extensions.

FiveWin, on the other hand, is a commercial library developed by Antonio Linares (the same founder of Harbour) that extends Harbour to create GUI applications on Windows. It is famous for its simplicity and power in bringing the old Clipper code into a modern graphical environment, exploiting the Windows API. With FiveWin you can:
Create windows, dialogs, menus and graphical controls with just a few lines of code.

Maintain compatibility with existing Clipper code.

Develop desktop applications that look native on Windows.

How they work together
Harbour is the "engine" that compiles the code, while FiveWin is the "toolbox" for adding graphical functionality. A Harbour program with FiveWin might look like this (basic example):
harbour

#include "FiveWin.ch"

FUNCTION Main()
LOCAL oWnd

DEFINE WINDOW oWnd TITLE "Hello FiveWin!"
ACTIVATE WINDOW oWnd
RETURN NIL

This code creates a simple window with the title "Hello FiveWin!". Harbour compiles the source into an executable, and FiveWin provides the classes and functions (such as DEFINE WINDOW) for the graphical interface.
Current status (2025)
In 2025, Harbour is still alive thanks to a community of passionate developers, even if it is not mainstream like Python or JavaScript. FiveWin, while commercial, continues to be updated and is mostly used by those who maintain or modernize old Clipper applications. On X, there are still active discussions about Harbour, with users sharing snippets and solutions to integrate it with modern technologies like SQL or web frameworks (e.g. mod_harbour for Apache).
Strengths and limitations
Harbour strengths: Portability, speed (thanks to C compilation), native database management, open-source community.

FiveWin strengths: Ease of creating GUIs on Windows, integration with Harbour, technical support from FiveTech.

Limitations: Narrow niche, sometimes fragmented documentation (especially for Harbour), less appealing to new developers than trendy languages.

Imagine having to develop a fast, reliable and decent GUI management application, without spending a fortune or spending months learning a new ecosystem. Harbour with FiveWin is your secret weapon. If you have ever used Clipper or worked with .DBF databases, you will immediately feel at home: the code is intuitive, the syntax is familiar, and you can reuse what you already know. Harbour is open-source and free, so you don't have to shell out thousands of euros for licenses like with other tools. Then there is FiveWin: with a few lines you can create windows, buttons and menus on Windows, without going crazy with complicated modern frameworks like Qt or Electron. It is lightweight, fast, and gets straight to the point. Compared to trendy languages like Python or C#, it saves you hours of configuration and dependencies: compile, run, and it works. And if you have an old Clipper system to update? With Harbour/FiveWin you can bring it into 2025 without throwing away years of work. It's not a fad, it's a practical solution that saves you time and money."

Targeted examples for specific contexts
Experienced Clipper developer
Argument: "You've spent years perfecting Clipper code for management systems that are still running in companies. Why throw it all away and start over with Python or Java, learning endless libraries, when with Harbour you can take that code, compile it as is, and with FiveWin add a modern graphical interface? It's like giving a second life to your projects, without losing your know-how."

Small business with limited budget
Argument: "Do you want custom software without spending 1000 euros for Xbase++ or paying monthly subscriptions for cloud platforms? Harbour is free, FiveWin is cheap and gives you a solid desktop application that runs on Windows with no recurring costs. Write the code once, and you're done: no servers to maintain or frameworks to update every six months."

Developer considering Python or C#
Argument: "Python is great for AI and C# for enterprise apps, but for a management system with a .DBF database and a graphical interface? You get lost in configurations, external libraries and overhead. With Harbour/FiveWin you get straight to the point: you manage data with native commands like USE and INDEX, and with FiveWin you have a GUI ready in 10 lines. It's faster to develop and lighter to run. Why complicate your life?

[Antonio Linares]

Grok 3 is the best