fpc/install/doc/readme.txt
2000-01-24 20:20:29 +00:00

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Free Pascal Compiler
Version 0.99.14
****************************************************************************
* Introduction
****************************************************************************
This package contains a freeware 32-bit pascal compiler for 386+. The language
and the runtime library are more or less compatible to TP 7.0. Some Delphi
additions have also been implemented like classes, exceptions, ansistrings
and rtti.
Free Pascal is currently available for the following platforms:
- DOS, via the DJ Delorie's GO32V2 Dos extenders
- Linux (i386), both aout and elf
- OS/2 & DOS, via the EMX extender
- Win32 (Win32s, Win95/98 and WinNT)
Older version of the compiler (0.99.5) is also available on:
- Commodore Amiga
- Atari ST
More platforms will be supported in the future.
****************************************************************************
* Features
****************************************************************************
- high speed compiler
- fully 32-bit code
- language features:
- almost fully compatible with Borland Pascal
- partially compatible with Borland Delphi
- ansi strings
- exception support
- RTTI support
- procedure overloading
- operator overloading
- code optimizer:
- peephole optimizer
- loading of variables into registers
- assembler level dataflow analyzer
- stack frame eliminations
- integrated BASM (built-in assembler) parser
- supports ATT syntax used by GNU C
- supports Intel syntax used by Turbo Pascal
- can compile code into assembler source code for these assemblers:
- GNU Assembler (GAS)
- Netwide assembler (Nasm)
- Microsoft Assembler/Turbo Assembler (Masm/Tasm)
- can call external C code
- smartlinking
- support for the GNU debugger
- cross-platform API
- IDE (currently for GO32v2 and Win32 only, in beta testing phase)
- can create binaries running natively under both DOS and OS/2 (EMX version)
****************************************************************************
* Requirements
****************************************************************************
386 processor
DOS (extender GO32v2):
- DOS 3.3
- 4 MB RAM (8+ MB recommended)
- hard disk with free space of 8 MB
- DMPI server (CWSDPMI is delivered in the go32v2 distribution)
Win32:
- Win95/98 or WinNT
- 8 MB RAM (16+ MB recommended)
OS/2 and DOS (extender EMX):
- either DOS 5.0 and above
or OS/2 v2.x and above
- 3 MB RAM (8+ MB recommended) for DOS
or 8 MB (12 or more MB recommended depending on OS version) for OS/2
- EMX or RSX (for DPMI) runtime package (part of OS/2 distribution)
****************************************************************************
The current version is only an evaluation version.
****************************************************************************
Quick start
-----------
Download dos09914.zip (version for DOS) or w3209914.zip (version for
Win9x/NT) or os209914.zip (EMX version - for OS/2 and DOS) and unzip it
into a temporary directory.
Start the install program INSTALL.EXE and follow the instructions.
Don't forget to set the path as mentioned by the install program.
To test the compiler, change to the demo directory of the compiler
and type
ppc386 hello or ppos2 hello (for EMX version)
hello
****************************************************************************
* The packages of the distribution
****************************************************************************
All standard packages contain a part that is specific for the target platform
and a few files which are target independent. All files are also available
as separate files to reduce file size if the default file is too big.
dos09914.zip specific:
----------------------
basego32.zip contains a DOS (Go32V2) compiler, runtime library and
additional files
asldgo32.zip contains additional GNU utilities which are necessary:
AS 2.9.1 for Go32V2
LD 2.9.1 for Go32V2
AR 2.8.1 for Go32V2
Strip 2.8.1 for Go32V2
utilgo32.zip contains additional GNU utilities which might be useful to
compile the run time library:
Make 3.76.1
RM 3.16
CP 3.16
MV 3.16
PWD 3.16
GInstall 3.16
GDate 3.16
GEcho 3.16
UPX 0.94
gdbgo32.zip contains the GNU Debugger 4.18 with pascal support for Go32V2
w3209914.zip specific:
----------------------
basew32.zip contains a Win32 compiler, runtime library and
additional files
asldw32.zip contains additional GNU utilities from MinGW32 which are
necessary:
AS 2.9.5 for Win32
LD 2.9.5 for Win32
AR 2.9.5 for Win32
Strip 2.9.5 for Win32
WindRes 2.9.5 for Win32
DLLTool 2.9.5 for Win32
utilw32.zip contains additional GNU utilities which might be useful to
compile the run time library:
Make 3.76.1
RM 3.16
CP 3.16
MV 3.16
PWD 3.16
GInstall 3.16
GDate 3.16
GEcho 3.16
UPX 0.94
gdbw32.zip contains the GNU Debugger 4.18 with pascal support for Win32
os209914.zip specific:
----------------------
baseemx.zip contains an EMX (OS/2 and DOS) compiler, runtime library and
additional files
asldemx.zip contains additional GNU utilities which are necessary:
AS 2.9.1 for EMX
LD for EMX
EMXBIND 0.9d
AR 2.9.1 for EMX
NM 2.9.1 for EMX
GASP 1.2 for EMX
ObjCopy 2.9.1 for EMX
ObjDump 2.9.1 for EMX
Strip 2.9.1 for EMX
RANLIB 2.9.1 for EMX
utilemx.zip contains additional GNU utilities which might be useful to
compile the run time library:
Make 3.76.1
RM 3.13
CP 3.13
MV 3.13
ChMod 3.13
PWD 1.12
Install 3.13
Date 1.12
Echo 1.12
gdbemx.zip contains the GNU Debugger 4.16 for EMX,
PMGDB (Presentation Manager add-on for GDB) and GPROF 2.9.1
common files in dos09914.zip, w3209914.zip and os209914.zip:
------------------------------------------------------------
demo.zip contains some demo files
doc-pdf.zip contains the documentation in PDF format
install.exe installation program
install.dat installation data
readme.txt this readme file
whatsnew.txt what's been changed
Optional source package src09914.zip:
-------------------------------------
basesrc.zip contains the basic Makefiles needed for the source tree
compsrc.zip contains the compiler sources
rtlsrc.zip contains the runtime library sources
fclsrc.zip contains the Free Component Library sources
apisrc.zip contains the API sources
pkgssrc contains the packages (various units) sources
utilssrc.zip contains the Utilities sources
instsrc.zip contains the installer sources
docsrc.zip contains the TeX sources of the doc
****************************************************************************
* Documentation
****************************************************************************
The documentation is available as HTML pages, PDF, PS, and text although the
recommended format is pdf. These are all available in ftp... /docs/...
NB that there is at present no FPC specific documentation for the Win32
system functions. There is a note in the ftp /doc explaining where
the MS help file for this can be obtained.
****************************************************************************
* Suggestions, Help, Bug reporting, snapshots, ...
****************************************************************************
Suggestions, Help ...
---------------------
e-mail: fpc-devel@lists.freepascal.org (bugs, developer related qs)
e-mail: fpc-pascal@lists.freepascal.org (general pascal related qs)
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
www: http://www.freepascal.org
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 the GO32v2, Win32, OS/2 and Linux versions of the compiler/rtl. Snapshots
are also available for the go32v2 & Win32 IDEs, and for FV, FCL, GTK and
utils for GO32v2 and Win32. The latest snapshots are in: ftp... /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, tho' 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 CVS
into ZIP files eg compiler.zip, rtl.zip, base.zip etc.
Making your own snapshots
-------------------------
By downloading the /source files (makefiles are included)
it is possible to to make your own version of the fpc compiler/rtl
and to modify it. You are of course free to do this
so long as you observe the licence conditions. In order to make the
compiler/rtl & ides in a resonable time (eg <30 minutes) you'll need at least
32M of physical memory (64M is better) memory and at least a 200 Mhx processor
and at least 20 Mbytes of free disk space. You'll also need
some knowledge of making files & 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
to the fpc-devel mailing list. PLEASE SEND ALSO A SMALL EXTRACT OF THE SOURCE
CODE which caused the problem, 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 programs and sources come under the GPL, for more informations read
the file COPYING. Additional informations about the runtime library license
are found in COPYING.FPC. Some utilities and programs come under the license
described in COPYING.DJ or COPYING.EMX
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.cdrom.com/pub/infozip/ .