Version 5.12 of QuickPDF

   Sorry for getting your hopes up!

   Although, I am not completely kidding... I have incorporated the fix for the jpg's being created when printing (from swb1) and re-compiled it into v5.12. Works great!

   Now, swb1 has also found and fixed a memory leak that cost him 10 hours of his life (thank you). I could incorporate that change too, compile it as v5.13, and make it available for download from this forum (I think I can, since you need the registration code to be able to use it afterwards).

     Here's the problem: I am not a Delphi head. Therefore, I am not sure I would want to blindly incorporate every suggestion or new feature that comes along without being able to put a critical thinking hat on and think about the future impact this could have.

   However, is this something we could do as a team? Enough interest out there? I can certainly help manage the effort, track bugs & todo lists, provide hosting services, etc.

   Anybody else interested in providing services such as testing, writing code? Updating the manual?

   Just curious at the level of interest out there.

I agree with Michel_K17 that it would be unwise to just make indiscriminate changes and enhancements. I have 9+ years of Delphi experience and some of what I saw yesterday, while debugging, made my head spin. I added one line of code and I can not be 100% certain that it will not cause something somewhere-else to blow up.

This is a fairly complex code pile and there are some programming practices and techniques with which I am unfamiliar. My brief venture has left me feeling that this could be a daunting, perhaps overwhelming task.  However, I am new to the library. I would like to hear from other Delphi programmers in the group who have taken a comprehensive look at the code and can give an opinion upon its maintainability.

I would really like to see this library become stable and reliable. It would be reassuring to know that there is an ongoing effort to improve it.

Thanks
Steve

Hi!
QuickPDF offers a very wide range of functions. I don't expect a bugless package in this case. ISED had problems with the overview and i fear we will have problems, too.
But this can't be a reason not to modify the code?
I don't think that's a problem to "create" a new bug while eliminating an old one. The problem is not to react when a new error occurs (the iSED-problem).
BTW: I've only the licence for the compiled version. Is here anybody who want to sell his source licence?

Stable and reliable are relative terms. As I stated in another post: my application runs unattended and non-stop for months at a time. even a small memory leak is unacceptable.

 

For the most part the code that I have looked at suggests that the developer(s) had decent coding skills. That, combined with the fact that I do not use very many of the libraries functions, lead me to believe that I won’t find many more leaks.

 

In my limited experience, the QuickPDF library seems very good. I bought Gnostice (with source code), because I thought that support was important. Unfortunately the Gnositce text extraction utilities are not comprehensive enough for my needs. So I am now fully committed to  QuickPDF. Therefore I am more that happy to make debugging contributions to the group when it falls within the specs of my application.

 

Regards,

Steve

Jan,

   By the way: would you be willing to provide the changes you made to the library? I could integrate those as well and make this available as part of an "update".

Michel,

I will prepare the source and send it to you next week. I need to translate the comments to english first.

Cool. Will it be the Delphi version only, or do you have the build scripts for the ActiveX and DLL versions as well?

Hi Michael,

Any chance of posting the actual source code line changes?

In this manner those of use who have the source can incorporate the fixes into our code and still maintain source rather than just grab your DCU's.

I'm guessing the snippets of code will not be illegal as only someone with source will make use of them?

BTW: Can we start a thread clearly stating all known bugs in QuickPDF? Then those with source could potentially fix known issues (I know I'd look into fixing them).

Keep up the good work.

Thanks

Hi Guys,
This is a great idea and I'd really like to take part but the cost of the source code ($500) makes it an expensive club to buy into!!!

I will be interest too.

I agree. I belive that the word used in the license is "organization", which, I agree, is a pretty loose definition. So, it would go something like this:

OPTION #1
   

1. We create an "Organization" (quickpdf.org),
2. Users have to join to become a member of the organization.
3. Members have to pay a nominal fee to join (I'm thinking $5) so that we can claim that we are not providing the source code for "free".
4. Members agree to share liability in defending any future claims. I believe that if we establish a non-profit "Limited Liability Company" (LLC) then the only thing that is at risk is the investment made which would be the $5 original investment times the number of members.
5. We get to work. :-)
6. We use the $5 fees to legally purchase the source code, maintain the web site, etc.

OPTION #2
   

1. We create an "Organization" (quickpdf.org),
2. Users have to join to become a member of the organization.
3. Members pay nothing to join. (We ask for donations?)
4. Members agree to share liability in defending any future claims. I'm thinking that collecting damages from a group of people throughout the World would be a difficult task.
5. We send an e-mail to Michael Khumano explaining our intentions and give him 30 days to tell us that what we are thinking of doing is not acceptable to him. We also state that no reply will be taken as an agreement.
6. We legally purchase the source code (split the cost amongst members), maintain the web site, etc.
7. We get to work. :-)

   I'm really happy to see the amount of discussion on this topic. Thank you. We could be on to something. I will check the local (Kansas) laws to see what would be required. It is really easy to establish an LLC for an individual, but harder for a group of "investors". The attraction of creating an LLC would be the protection it offers from future lawsuits. I think we might need the help of a lawyer. I'm also a bit worried about the tax implications of collecting a fee.

   I'm thinking that we should not establish this "organization" until after iSed's web site disappears off the internet so that we can also claim later that we only acted in the best interest of the product. The disapearance of the web site would be a clear sign that the product has been "abandoned". (but we can purchase the source code before hand.

   We should also consider purchasing ised's domain name as well when it becomes available, if anything just to use it to redirect traffic to our own web site.

   Any comments?