In a message dated 1/3/99 8:43:14 PM, you wrote:

>Has anyone here ported an FB app to the PC, and what dev tool do you
>recommend?

I do my PGGP in FB and port to Windows via Delphi.  Compared to VB, this is
the only way to go.  Delphi is _tight_.  The current PGGP Windows is under 400
K when packaged with WISE.  It downloads in under 3 minutes.  VB would
probably be more like 23 or 33 minutes.  Even version 5 must have libraries to
run the exe.  Sorry to the VB folks, as I have never even booted VB, just
downloaded VB apps and found they would not run as I had the wrong VBrun or
what ever.   Delphi will make you a single exe that absolutely flys.  My only
frustration with Delphi is that it is so highly optimized that when running
the integrated debugger, you often can't see a var until you are on the line
in which it occurs.

	Delphi compiles 13,000+ lines on my poor old 66mhz 486 in 30 seconds.
Happily it also runs quite solidly under Virtual PC on my 233 G3 Powerbook.
It compiles the same in 45 seconds there.  Other parts of the development
process, such as screen refreshes are faster than the 486.  I was also able to
access my PC drives on my DOS compatible mac via my local talk network.  All
in all VPC is ok in my book.    It did hang up once and I had to install a new
VPC drive as Delphi would no longer boot.  There was no damage to the files.
But, I must remember, when we program, we really destroy things sometimes and
I destroyed something in the emulator or windows big time.

	My sales run about 4:1 Win to Mac.  Downloads at my site are also heavily pro
Win.  Sorry to say it, but glad I made the port.  

	Another FB list person, John Morrison also uses Delphi.  I think he agrees
that FB and Delphi Pascal are a very easy port.  I did my port from nothing to
Beta in 5 months and taught school all of six of those weeks.   John may
disagree, but he asked about two questions and had his product on the market
with astonishing speed.  (Win is not all that different...hate to say it, but
true.  I had some graphic routines that draw a DB type grid, and ported, they
drew the grid on WIN...bingo.  There are of course problems, but as I have
said, while my wife drives, I can translate code from FB to Delphi and carry
on a sort of good conversation.  My wife would probably say, without the
porting my conversation is only fairly good.

	Lastly, if you plan to do a Help file (strongly suggested) bite the bullet
and buy Robo Help or some such device.  It will cost more than Delphi Standard
($90), but will solve the Help File problem, which is without one of these
apps, is the most guarded secret of Windows.  For months, no one seemed to
know anything about.  Other than writing some obscure symbols, saving in true
RTF, (like MS-Word creates [$]) and then compiling with a cryptic app that
seems to be floating around, there was no way to write a help file.

	Best wishes with your product.

	George