Compiling a Linux application in Delphi 10.4 Enterprise

Question

I am trying to compile an existing large windows (console) server application for Linux, using the Delphi 10.4 Enterprise IDE. The problem is that the moment I switch to the Linux platform, even the most 'basic' items no longer exist, and I just have no idea how and where to add them, either as Delphi units, or do I have to find libraries in the linked Linux Virtual Machine, and then Delphi will find them there?

Is there somewhere a manual or book on how this is supposed to work? Primary requirements: I need TThread (Does not exist) and I need a MS-Windows lookalike Message system for it, to communicate between the Threads and the Main thread, passing Pointers to records in memory.

Any help whatsoever is very welcome.

Answer 1

Here is a minimal reproducible example of a thread that works compiled for Windows or Linux with no source code change and using Delphi 10.4.2:

program LinuxThreadDemo;

{$APPTYPE CONSOLE}

{$R *.res}

uses
  System.SysUtils, 
  System.Classes;        // Contains TThread for both Windows and Linux

type
  TMyThread = class(TThread)
      procedure Execute; override;
  end;

var
  MyThread : TMyThread;

procedure TMyThread.Execute;
begin
  WriteLn('Hello from thread');
end;

begin
  try
    MyThread := TMyThread.Create(TRUE);
    try
      MyThread.Start;
      ReadLn;
    finally
      MyThread.Free;
    end;
  except
    on E: Exception do
      Writeln(E.ClassName, ': ', E.Message);
  end;
end.