Long-Term Delphi Support for Critical Legacy Software
Current Situation
The application is critical to the business, and support for the software must be guaranteed for the next approximately 15 years. The software fulfills a central function and, at the same time, carries the typical risks of a legacy application that has evolved over time:
- Knowledge is concentrated in a single person.
- Parts of the application have evolved over time and are poorly documented.
- The development environment must be exactly reproducible, from the Delphi version to components, libraries, and licenses.
- Functional tests are partially dependent on machines, test panels, or hardware located near the PLC.
soxes therefore gradually assumed responsibility for the software. The goal: to organize the source code, development environment, dependencies, and technical expertise in such a way that Striebig remains capable of operating independently of the original developer. Not a new development, but a clean handover.
Approach
soxes first set up complete development and build environments—including the appropriate operating system, Delphi version, components, licenses, libraries, and configurations.
The source code was taken over, analyzed, and prepared to the point where the application could be compiled and launched. Missing dependencies were identified, documented, and added. Where possible, the software runs on a test machine or in an isolated environment to verify basic functions.
At the same time, structured documentation was created for the code and modules: CNC integration, label functions, main application, optimization, and other machine-related components. External dependencies such as drivers and configuration files were also recorded. Finally, the code was moved to a version-controlled repository. This will allow changes to be implemented in a controlled and traceable manner in the future.
Result
Following the first project phase, soxes can now independently execute, analyze, and stabilize the code. Specifically, the following were created:
- a functional development environment
- a documented list of all build dependencies
- traceable steps for compilation
- structured documentation on projects, modules, and directories
- a version-controlled repository for the source code
- Initial bugs found during testing have been fixed
- an initial risk assessment for future operation
Critical software knowledge secured for the long term
For Striebig, this takeover is an important step toward securing a central component of its product. The application is no longer simply kept “running somehow,” but is now technically traceable, documented, and controllable.
soxes helps Striebig secure critical software knowledge, reduce dependencies, and lay the foundation for reliable support over many years.
Maintenance, bug fixes, minor adjustments, and future enhancements can now be planned in a much more structured way.
The project demonstrates what matters most when it comes to business-critical legacy software: don’t rush to replace it, but first understand it, secure it, and make it manageable.
