Free Pascal Compiler Version 2.4.2-rc1 **************************************************************************** * Introduction **************************************************************************** Please also read the platform specific README file, if it exists. This package contains an advanced freeware 32-bit/64-bit pascal compiler for several platforms. The language and the runtime library are almost compatible with Turbo Pascal 7.0 and recent Delphi releases. There is also partial support for the Macintosh pascal dialect. Free Pascal 2.4.2-rc1 is currently available for the following platforms: - Linux-i386 - Linux-x86_64 (amd64) - Linux-powerpc - Linux-sparc - Linux-arm - Win32-i386 (Win95/98/Me/XP/2000/2003/Vista and WinNT) - Win64-x86_64 (XP/Vista/2003) - Wince-arm (cross compiled from win32-i386) - FreeBSD-i386 - Mac OS X/Darwin for PowerPC - Mac OS X/Darwin for Intel (i386) - GO32v2-i386 - OS/2-i386 (OS/2 Warp v3.0, 4.0, WarpServer for e-Business and eComStation) The following platforms were not release-ready at the moment of the release but they might follow later: - Netware-i386 - NetwLibc-i386 (LibC is preferred API under newer Netware versions) There are other platforms (like other BSD variants) which are more or less working, but there is currently no maintainer for them and thus we cannot provide adequate support. If you want to change this and create and maintain versions for other platforms and targets, feel free to contact us, e-mail addresses are listed below. **************************************************************************** * Features **************************************************************************** - high speed compiler - fully 32 or 64-bit code - 32 bit compiler can be on x86_64 Linux distributions to compile 32 bit applications - language features: - almost fully compatible with Borland Pascal and Borland Delphi - ansi strings - wide strings - exception support - RTTI support - procedure overloading - generics (experimental) - operator overloading - COM, CORBA and raw interfaces support - dynamic array support - variant support - inlining - code optimizer: - peephole optimizer (80x86 only) - jump optimizer - loading of variables into registers - assembler level dataflow analyzer (80x86 only) - stack frame eliminations - sophisticated register allocator - integrated BASM (built-in assembler) parser - supports ATT syntax used by GNU C - supports Intel syntax used by Turbo Pascal (80x86-only) - can compile code into assembler source code for these assemblers: - GNU Assembler (GAS) - Netwide assembler (Nasm) - Microsoft Assembler/Turbo Assembler (Masm/Tasm) - Watcom assembler (wasm) - internal assembler for ultra fast object file generation - can call external C code - h2pas utility to convert .h files to Pascal units - smartlinking (not yet supported under Mac OS X) - support for the GNU debugger - integrated development environment (disabled by default on Mac OS X) - powerfull user friendly Wordstar compatible multi file editor - context sensitive help supports help files in HTML, Windows HLP and Borland TPH format. - debugger on most platforms - can create binaries running natively under both DOS and OS/2 (EMX version) - no need for Linux distribution specific binaries, programs you write run on all distributions - high quality documentation **************************************************************************** * Minimum requirements **************************************************************************** i386, x86_64, PowerPC or Sparc processor Win32: - Win95/98/Me/2000/2003/XP/Vista or WinNT - 16 MB RAM OS/2: - OS/2 Warp v3.0 with one of late fixpaks - FP 35 should be fine, OS/2 Warp v4.0 with FP 5 and above, WSeB, MCP or any eComStation version (OS/2 2.0/2.1 currently not supported, not even for compiled programs) Linux: - system running a 2.4.x kernel FreeBSD: - FreeBSD 4.x system or 5.x system that has COMPAT_4 system (which is default) Mac OS X: - Mac OS X 10.2 and higher Mac OS (classic) - Mac OS 9.2 has been tested, should probably also work from 7.5.3 and up. **************************************************************************** * Quick start - Win32 **************************************************************************** Download the distribution package (fpc-2.4.2-rc1.i386-win32.exe) and run it - it is a self-extracting installer, so just follow the instructions to install it. Don't forget to set the PATH environment variable if you install FPC under Win95/98/ME (the installer should do it automatically under WinNT/2k/XP). To test the compiler, change to the demo\texts directory of the FPC tree and type fpc hello hello **************************************************************************** * Quick start - DOS **************************************************************************** Download distribution archive (dos222.zip for GO32v2) and unzip it into a temporary directory. Start the install program INSTALL.EXE and follow the instructions. Don't forget to set PATH as mentioned by the install program. If running under plain DOS, this can be done by opening file named AUTOEXEC.BAT located in the root directory of your boot drive (usually C:\) with a plain text editor (like EDIT.COM), extending the line starting with "set PATH=" (case insensitive) with path to newly installed binaries (installation root as selected in the installation program appended with "\BIN\GO32v2") and save it. To test the compiler, change to the demo\texts directory of the FPC tree and type fpc hello hello **************************************************************************** * Quick start - OS/2 / eComStation **************************************************************************** Download distribution archive (os2222.zip for OS/2 or eComStation) and unzip it into a temporary directory. Start the install program INSTALL.EXE and follow the instructions. Don't forget to set PATH and LIBPATH as mentioned by the install program. This can be done by opening file named CONFIG.SYS located in the root directory of your boot drive (e.g. C:\) with a plain text editor (e.g. E.EXE), extending the lines starting with "set PATH=" and "LIBPATH=" (both are case insensitive) with path to newly installed binaries (installation root as selected in the installation program appended with "\BIN\OS2") and save it again as a plain text file. Note that changes to LIBPATH require restart of your machine in order to come into effect. To test the compiler, change to the demo\texts directory of the FPC tree and type fpc hello hello **************************************************************************** * Quick start - Linux/FreeBSD **************************************************************************** Download fpc-2.4.2-rc1.-.tar and untar into a temporary directory. Start the install script with ./install.sh and follow the instructions. To test the compiler, change to the demo/texts directory of the FPC tree and type fpc hello hello **************************************************************************** * Quick start - Mac OS X/Darwin **************************************************************************** There are two methods to install Free Pascal for Mac OS X. 1) Download and install the Mac OS X package (fpc-2.4.2-rc1.powerpc-macosx.dmg) This gives you the Free Pascal Compiler and the Xcode integration kit. 2) Install fpc using fink This gives you the Free Pascal Compiler, including all libraries, packages and units from its sources, including Free Vision and the IDE, which partly works using X11 xterm. With method 1 follow the instructions to install the XCode integration kit at: http://www.freepascal.org/xcode.html Method 2 is mainly meant for using the compiler through the command line. Fink takes care of setting the PATH variable. You can (under Mac OS X 10.2.x or earlier you actually have to) also use the command line with Free Pascal installed using method 1. The main point is to change your PATH as described below: The compiler is called "fpc" and will be installed in /usr/local/bin. This directory may not be in your PATH yet (if you type "fpc" in a Terminal window and you get something like "fpc: command not found", then it isn't). If the installation directory is not yet in your PATH, you will have to add it. To get an idea, how to do this, follow the instructions at: "http://fink.sourceforge.net/doc/users-guide/install.php#setup" to determine which file you have to edit, but instead of adding the line suggested there, add the following at the end: - if your shell is the Bourne shell (bash): export PATH=/usr/local/bin:$PATH When using Terminal.app add this to ".bash_profile", when using the X11 xterm add this to ".bashrc". If these files do not exist yet in your home directory, you have to create them, for example with nano (or any other text editor): nano .bash_profile - if your shell is the C Shell (csh or tcsh): setenv PATH /usr/local/bin:${PATH} Next, close the Terminal window and open a new one. Now, the PATH should be set correctly. After installing the package, you can write your source code in your favorite editor (including Project Builder and XCode). To compile something, go to the directory containing your source files in Terminal and type: fpc name_of_your_source_file The compiler only accepts one file name as argument, but will automatically search for and compile any units used by the specified source file. Run "fpc" without any arguments to get an overview of the possible command line options. **************************************************************************** * Documentation **************************************************************************** The documentation is available as HTML pages, PDF, PS, and text although the recommended format is pdf. These are all available on ftp://ftp.freepascal.org/fpc/dist/docs-2.4.2-rc1 NB that there is at present no FPC specific documentation for the platform specific API (like Win32 system functions, etc.). There is a note in the ftp /doc explaining where MS help file documenting Win32 API can be obtained, other platforms (especially Unix-based ones) often come with this documentation included in system installation. **************************************************************************** * Suggestions, Help, Bug reporting, snapshots, ... **************************************************************************** Suggestions, Help ... --------------------- e-mail: fpc-devel@lists.freepascal.org (bugs, developer related questions) e-mail: fpc-pascal@lists.freepascal.org (general pascal related questions) Both these adresses are for mailing lists. If you're not subscribed, be sure to mention this fact when sending questions to these lists, so that people sending answers know about it and send you a copy. Information about available lists and subscription can be found on http://lists.freepascal.org/mailman/listinfo Web forum: http://community.freepascal.org:10000 (all questions) WWW: http://www.freepascal.org FTP: ftp://ftp.freepascal.org/fpc (several mirrors exist, see website for links) Additional information about mailing lists, news, future plans etc. can be found on the web site. SNAPSHOTS & SOURCES ------------------- One of the features of FPC is the snapshots. These are made daily or weekly from the developers' latest versions of the source. Snapshots are available for GO32v2, Win32, OS/2 and Linux versions. The latest snapshots are in: ftp://ftp.freepascal.org/fpc/snapshot/ in appropriately named .zip/tar files. You will also normally find in the snapshot archive file a readme, with a note about the latest included changes. It is quite common, though it doesn't always happen, that when a bug is reported it is fixed and a fixed version can be obtained the NEXT day in the appropriate snapshot.... yes really! Also on the ftp site you'll find a /dist directory, with the latest distributed releases, a /docs directory, and a /source directory, in which every night at about 0100 GMT the latest source generated by the developers during the day & evening before is exported from SVN into ZIP file fpc.zip. Making your own snapshots ------------------------- By downloading the /source files (makefiles are included) it is possible to make your own version of the fpc compiler/rtl and to modify it. You are of course free to do this so as long as you observe the licence conditions. In order to make the compiler/rtl & IDE in a resonable time (eg <30 minutes) you'll need at least 32 MB of physical memory (64 MB is better), at least a 200 MHz processor and at least 100 MB of free disk space. You'll also need some knowledge of makefiles & programming... it is not difficult but it isn't easy either! REPORTING BUGS ---------------- If you find a bug in the released version, you may want to try a snapshot (see SNAPSHOTS above) to see if it has been fixed before reporting it to the fpc-devel mailing list. If you find a fault or 'feature' in a release, please report it either using the bug reporting interface available on our WWW pages (see above), or to the fpc-devel mailing list. PLEASE INCLUDE ALSO A COMPILABLE CODE FRAGMENT which can be used to reproduce the problem (or a link to larger archive if it cannot reproduced with small example), and state the version eg Win32, GO32v2, and the date of the compiler etc on which you noticed the problem & any other useful info so the developers can reproduce the problem, otherwise they may not be willing/able to fix it. **************************************************************************** * License **************************************************************************** The compiler and most utilities and executables distributed in this package fall under the GPL, for more information read the file COPYING. Some specific utilities and programs come under the license described in COPYING.DJ, COPYING.EMX, COPYING.RSX, license.upx and licensez.ip. The documentation, unless otherwise noted, is distributed as free text, and is distributed under the GNU Library General Public License. The runtime library, package libraries, free component library, and other libraries which are used to create executables by the compiler come under a modified GNU Library General Public license. Additional information about the library license is found in COPYING.FPC. License conditions for DPMI provider for GO32v2 version (CWSDPMI.EXE) can be found in cwsdpmi.doc, sources and/or binary updates may be downloaded from http://clio.rice.edu/cwsdpmi/. NOTE: OS/2 version of the installer uses the library UNZIP32.DLL from Info-ZIP. Info-ZIP's software (Zip, UnZip and related utilities) is free and can be obtained as source code or executables from Internet/WWW sites, including http://www.info-zip.org.