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Harbour is an open-source implementation of a cross-platform, multi-threading, object-oriented, scriptable programming language designed for backward compatibility with xBase languages such as Clipper. Positioned in the development-tools category, the project enables developers to compile legacy xBase codebases to modern 32- and 64-bit binaries for Windows, Linux, macOS, BSD, and mobile targets without requiring proprietary runtime fees. Typical use cases include migrating long-lived business, accounting, and inventory applications originally written in dBase, FoxPro, or Clipper to contemporary operating systems, thereby preserving critical data-entry screens, reports, and domain logic while adding Unicode, JSON, XML, REST, and SQL connectivity through Harbour’s extensible C API. The language supports both procedural and object-oriented paradigms, offers dynamic and static typing, embeds a macro compiler for runtime code generation, and exposes multi-threading primitives that let server processes handle concurrent client requests. Version 3.0.0, the first stable release published by the Harbour community, ships with an incremental garbage collector, improved VT-style virtual method dispatch, enhanced preprocessor directives, and updated documentation reflecting twenty years of community contributions. Binaries produced by Harbour are dependency-free, enabling redistribution without additional libraries, while the accompanying build system generates Makefiles or Visual Studio projects so existing continuous-integration pipelines can be preserved. Because the toolchain is licensed under the GPL-compatible Harbour Licence, commercial applications can be shipped royalty-free when linked with the open-core libraries. Harbour is available for free on get.nero.com, with downloads provided via trusted Windows package sources such as winget, always delivering the latest version, and supporting batch installation of multiple applications.
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