by James Bott » Fri May 30, 2008 1:38 am
Michel,
>A few years back, when we were all programming in FW for Clipper, we didn't need a new version of Clipper when a new FW-version arrived.
>Since xHabour is the replacement of the Clipper compiler, what's the difference ?
We didn't need a new version of Clipper because there wasn't one to be had. Now we have choices.
When we were working with the Clipper compiler we were stuck with the features that Clipper already had. Clipper was updated very infrequently and there was only one Clipper compiler. [However, you may remember that there WERE some incompatibilities with FW and Clipper 5.2 and 5.3.]
Now, there are multiple compilers (Harbour, xHarbour, Xhb) and they are constantly being improved. Wisely, FWH takes advantage of those new compiler features in newer versions of FWH. This allows us (as a group) to move ahead much faster than we ever could with Clipper.
Also note that Harbour is much more than a replacement for Clipper. It also handles the Win API, and adds tons of new features that Clipper doesn't have.
Keep in mind that FW has to be compatible with multiple compilers on multiple platforms (Windows, Linex, Mac, Pocket PC). This is an incredibly complex task and I am absolutely amazed that things run as smoothly as they do.
So, you have two choices, either stay with the older version of FWH that is compatible with your version of Xhb, or use the newer Xhb with the newer FWH. If you don't want to risk any new problems, then stick with the older versions of each.
Now we have choices--before we didn't.
Regards,
James