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<div class=Section1>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>Hi!<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'> </span>I need help
determining the feasibility of writing a wrapper around a DLL so that I can
call it from a Linux machine, perhaps as a SO.<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>
</span>I’m looking for either a member of this list that could contract
with us for support, or pointers to a more appropriate place where I can search
for such a person.<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'> </span>If you’re
interested in learning more, please read on – otherwise, thanks for your
time!<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>The DLL in question is one that interacts with call
recording equipment in a telephone switch.<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>
</span>Our customer has an incoming call center where they currently use
windows machines on the desktops of the telephone agents.<span
style='mso-spacerun:yes'> </span>They’re looking to replace these
desktops with Linux machines, and are trying to convert to a 100% non-Microsoft
shop.<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'> </span>This DLL has five or six function
calls that presumably <span class=GramE>communicates</span> over the network
with the switch.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>My initial thought was that we have three choices of how to
architect a solution:<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;
tab-stops:list .5in'><![if !supportLists]><font size=2 face=Arial><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;mso-fareast-font-family:Arial'><span
style='mso-list:Ignore'>1)<font size=1 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'> </span></font></span></span></font><![endif]><font
size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>Port the
code to Linux.<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'> </span>I eliminated this as a
choice because we don’t have the source code for the DLL.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;
tab-stops:list .5in'><![if !supportLists]><font size=2 face=Arial><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;mso-fareast-font-family:Arial'><span
style='mso-list:Ignore'>2)<font size=1 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'> </span></font></span></span></font><![endif]><font
size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>Use some
kind of RPC mechanism (COBRA, SOAP, etc.) to have the DLL running under windows
on a server.<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'> </span>This would work in
principle, and apparently it is the preferred solution by the maker of the
DLL.<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'> </span>However, it violates our
client’s no-Microsoft-code mandate, and our customer has rejected this as
a solution.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;
tab-stops:list .5in'><![if !supportLists]><font size=2 face=Arial><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;mso-fareast-font-family:Arial'><span
style='mso-list:Ignore'>3)<font size=1 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'> </span></font></span></span></font><![endif]><font
size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>Write a
wrapper to use the DLL running under WINE.<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>
</span>This is what I am pursuing now.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>I’m looking for someone who has done #3 for other
DLLs, and understands the issues that might come up in getting a third party
DLL to run under WINE without active support from the DLL’s authors.<span
style='mso-spacerun:yes'> </span>I myself have used Linux quite extensively
but have not had the opportunity to use WINE directly, so we will likely need
some help in setting up our WINE environment.<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>
</span>We’ve got funding to pursue this, so if you can show me that
you’ve done something like this before, we will pay you to first do a
feasibility analysis on the DLL in question, and then implement it.<span
style='mso-spacerun:yes'> </span><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>Thanks!<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><br>
John<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
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