More free open source libraries

[kevh]

This is my first time posting in this forum. I've been following Lazarus for a while now, wanting to use Lazarus a lot more for my day to day programming. I program in python at the moment and use it at work for simple to moderate scripts with a gui. The one thing that some what holds me back from moving completely to Lazarus is the lack of two things 1. libraries and 2. documentation of how to use a library. I know this can change but it's going to take a change in mind set with the community (I'm sure this mind set is already here, don't get me wrong but I would like to see a lot more of it).  I have seen a few different post here a few times where someone was asking about a library and if it supported this or that. The answer if no someone would respond saying "for a bounty I'll fix/create a library that do what you are seeking. Now I think that is fine, getting paid to supply a service, BUT with that mind set the Lazarus libraries will maybe never reach the level of what python has available. We need more people improving what libraries we have but then also some people adding new stuff. I pretty happy to see the Lazarus lib/package "internet tools", can't wait to use it. I hope it can get to the level of python's lxml lib/module (maybe it is at that level already,  I'll find out soon)
Even with where Lazarus is now I would like to thank everyone here that has helped and thank you for doing a awesome job.

[Leledumbo]

Now I think that is fine, getting paid to supply a service, BUT with that mind set the Lazarus libraries will maybe never reach the level of what python has available. We need more people improving what libraries we have but then also some people adding new stuff.

Actually we're already on the way you want. Those paid support is only from those who are willing to help by getting paid, we have a lot of libraries that are free, either shipped along, in our CCR or 3rd party. Of course we can't force them to do what we want for free, they might need money to live and they might live from doing this. You wouldn't want to see a great developer died of hunger, would you?

I pretty happy to see the Lazarus lib/package "internet tools", can't wait to use it. I hope it can get to the level of python's lxml lib/module (maybe it is at that level already,  I'll find out soon)

Simply ask the specific functionality you're looking for. fcl-net, fcl-wen, benibela's internet tools, synapse, lnet and many others that I can't mention already provide internet (or in broader term: networking) related functionalities.

[BigChimp]

Kevh,

Welcome. You might consider hitting the enter key now and then to break up your text

I hope you've already looked at the wiki - pages like these have a lot of links to libraries to offer:
http://wiki.lazarus.freepascal.org/Components_and_Code_examples
http://wiki.lazarus.freepascal.org/Projects_using_Lazarus
http://wiki.lazarus.freepascal.org/FPC_Applications/Projects_Gallery
http://wiki.lazarus.freepascal.org/Lazarus_Application_Gallery

Also, you can reuse a huge amount of Delphi code, try e.g. searching on ohloh.net for object pascal/delphi code.

Finally, there's a *lot* of code in FPC/Lazarus that exists, but as you say has not been documented yet. There's been an effort to document more stuff on the wiki apart from the official FPC/Lazarus online/offline documentation. Any help is welcome though!

About the mentality of contributing libraries etc for bounties: well, some people will publish them by themselves, some won't. I would also appreciate more people sharing their code, but well...

Edit: I think it's no coincidence that 2 people who do share their code and try to document answered your question

[kevh]

I thank you both for your replies and I'm going to do my best to help in helping this project (Lazarus) in

adding more libraries/packages. I may not be doing the writing of ALL these lib/packages but I will
differently

pay (for what I can't do or don't have time) the top free pascal programmer to make or add to what libs/packages we have now.

I know if Lazarus had the packages that python does Lazarus would be just as popular as if not more so than

python.  Once Lazarus gets to that popularity then more develops will come in and create lib and maybe we won't have to pay for things any longer or not as much.

python is easy to use but making a somewhat complex gui is a pain and python can be slow for a lot of

tasks. python is good at a lot of things but not great at anything. I've used cython and it's "ok" to speed up 

functions here or there but then you are locked in (those of you who have used it know what I'm talking

about). I posted about adding/creating a eval window to add to the Lazarus IDE for testing, exploring

libraries, algorithms quickly (no declaring types etc, this cut down on the need for documentation some what). This could be used also as a stand alone install on a

server to run scripts like perl or python. The company I work for we supply sip telecom and internet to small

and med sized  business. We use perl scripts to report back on IAD's and TAR's etc. I would like to be able

to use free pascal in this space as well (which I could as my company will allow me to use whatever I want

to use for any scripts) Soon I'll be doing some scripting on our BroadSoft platform.... so anyway.

[BigChimp]

No idea what TAR and IADs are but... hope you can get FPC/Lazarus working with them.

Declaring types etc is one of the cornerstones of Pascal as it's a strongly typed language... that's why I wonder whether eval actually can work, but people like Leledumbo will surely have an answer for that.

There's already some browsers inside Lazarus that let you lookup (Code Browser, Code Explorer etc but I can never tell them apart).. that might help already.
You can also go to a type/variable/class declaration quickly (ctr-alt-up or something or right click mouse, menu Go to declaration). Finally there's (some) context-sensitive help (press F1).
Don't know if you knew this already though...

[kevh]

TAR and IAD are Cisco products which we are moving away from slowly in order to supply fiber to customers (compete with Comcast cable internet)