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  HHVM
Posted by tobi on Dec-22-2013 04:03
Hello,

will ChartDirector support HHVM (HipHop Virtual Machine for PHP) from facebook developers
in the future? - The project seems to be very interesting and we are wondering if
ChatDirector can become an supported extension.

URL: http://www.hhvm.com

Any feedback would be much appreciated. Thank you.

- Tobi

  Re: HHVM
Posted by Peter Kwan on Dec-23-2013 23:15
Hi Tobi,

We still have not yet encountered any demand for HHVM support. I think it is still too early to tell if we would eventually support HHVM.

If you are using HHVM and you would like to use ChartDirector, there are two methods:

(a) Run the charting part as a command line script using a language interpreter supported by ChartDirector, such as Perl or Python, or even PHP with the traditional Zend based PHP interpreter. Your HHVM PHP code can then called the commnad line script to perform the charting.

(b) Write some wrapper code to wrap a subset of the "ChartDirector for C++" API into a HHVM PHP extension. In this way, you can call ChartDirector from HHVM PHP.

I know the above is far from ideal, but it is the only method I can think of.

I really hope future versions of HHVM can load PHP extensions developed using the Zend API. It probably require great effort on the part of the HHVM developers, but it would automatically make thousands of PHP extensions available to HHVM.

Regards
Peter Kwan

  Re: HHVM
Posted by tobi on Jan-13-2014 05:26
Hi Peter,

thank you for your reply and your suggested "solutions". Indeed, we are now using two
different app servers "php-fpm" and "hhvm" just because the lack of the ChartDirector
extension.

However, since the performance is that much superior of "hhvm" compared to standard
php it would become for us a "game changer" if we could a native ChartDirector extension
for "hhvm". A dynamic loadable hhvm extension which only bypasses the C++ API might
not suitable. It seems the best way is, to modify the source code very slightly and add
native extension support for full performance
(https://github.com/facebook/hhvm/wiki/Extension-API). It's a pity we do not have
access to the ChartDirector Sources as paying customer to create a native extension our
own. However, we surely have to admit, you as developer have the best knowledge to
create the extension for all of your customers. As far as we know, the afford should be
manageable -- and we would be glad to help to test a native "hhvm" extension... :)

We understand this might currently not an very popular demanded issue. However,
"hhvm" now supports 98% of the complete php language standard and is ready to use as
fast-cgi server. Also, it is added already into all big linux distributions and it is just getting
started to become very popular.

Yes, "hhvm" is very, very fast - using a lot less memory. Yes, it needs some source
adaptions but it is really worth of it. Maybe the road of mod_php for apache (until apache
release 2.6 and fight back) is pretty much at its end - nginx+fastcgi+hhvm...



Bye
  Tobi

  Re: HHVM
Posted by Tobi on Apr-20-2014 06:26
Hello,

are there any news on this issue? - HHVM reaches lately version 3.0.0 and it becomes more
and more mature. Almost all base extensions are already included and even some 3rd party
tools offer their own extension.

The core HHVM team now ports all extensions from IDL (deprectated) to their HNI interface
which is used with PHP and/or C/C++! Some are already switched:
https://github.com/facebook/hhvm/issues/1480

Main question - and game changer: Are there any affort to port ChartDirector to be an HNI
extension for HHVM as well? - I think (btw as paying customer) this is required and would be
an excellent feature.

We do need ChartDirector for HHVM in the future! We need the core port - or the source
code to let the community port it! :))

Bye
  Tobi

  Re: HHVM
Posted by Peter Kwan on Apr-21-2014 08:20
Hi Tobi,

We would be more than happen if someone would port ChartDirector to HHVM.

ChartDirector for PHP/Python/Perl/Ruby and ASP/COM/VB are just wrappers to ChartDirector
for C++. We have customers that develop their own wrappers around ChartDirector for C++
to support additional interpreters and languages. There is even a commercial wrapper
available for RealBasic.

There is no need to have the source code to do the port. One just needs to wrap the public
API of ChartDirector for C++. We ourselves do not use the source code for porting. We only
use the ChartDirector for C++ header files (to make sure we do not develop something that
depends on the internal workings of ChartDirector). In our ChartDirector for PHP distribution,
you can see the ChartDirector shared object (libchartdir.so), which is identical to the one
distributed in ChartDirector for C++. The wrappers are "phpchartdir???.so" (??? = PHP
version number).

Regards
Peter Kwan

  Re: HHVM
Posted by Tobi on Apr-23-2014 09:05
Hello,

thank you for your reply

While we do not think it is the proper way to ask PAYING customers to port the offered
closed-source library (really strange!) , we will take a closer look. However, we surely are
VERY disappointed.

Hopefully, in the future you won't ask PAYING customer to develop their version of
ChartDirector themselves for the money...  Also, the comparison, realbasic vs hhvm - no
comments. Not often customers are asked for to try to port a closed-source library they
have paid for. Also, you offer support for more a LOT of os/version which are a LOT LESS
used than with HHVM. Disappointing!

We are wondering why you threat your customers that way and you do not work on such
an important issue. That's really unbelievable. Would be great to make ChartDirector open-
source. Than you can focus on Python 2.5.4.3.5, 2.5.4.4.6, and 2.5.4.4.5 and make all
customers happy.


Bye
  Tobi

  Re: HHVM
Posted by Tobi on Nov-02-2014 09:32
any news on this issue, as this become more and more important?

  Re: HHVM
Posted by Peter Kwan on Nov-04-2014 01:11
Hi Tobi,

Unluckily, there is no progress on this matter.

Regards
Peter Kwan