DOS ain't dead - FPC 2.6.0 released

marcov

02.01.2012, 15:12

FPC 2.6.0 released (Announce)

Free Pascal 2.6.0 has been released. I don't expect much change in the dos port since 2.4.4, but at least it is still there :-)

-----------------------
Hello,

first, FPC core wants to wish a happy 2012!

To start the new year with a bang, a new major release
of Free Pascal, version 2.6.0, was uploaded to our FTP servers.

Changes that may break backwards compatibility are documented at:
http://wiki.freepascal.org/User_Changes_2.6.0

For Downloads, please use the FTP server at

ftp://freepascal.stack.nl/pub/fpc/dist/2.6.0/

and sourceforge

https://sourceforge.net/projects/freepascal/files/

as much possible.

Enjoy!

The Free Pascal Compiler Team

Free Pascal Compiler

Version 2.6.0

******************************************************************************
What's New in 2.6.0
******************************************************************************

Free Pascal 2.6.0 is a new major version of the Free Pascal compiler.

Please also see http://wiki.freepascal.org/User_Changes_2.6.0 for a list
of changes that may affect the behaviour of previously working code, and
how to cope with these changes.

Some highlights are:

Platforms:
* iPhoneSimulator target

Compiler:
* Many new language features:
* Objective-Pascal dialect, supported on all Mac OS X and iOS targets
* constref parameter modifier for "const by reference"
* Pascal boolean types with multiple sizes (boolean16/32/64)
* ISO 7185 language mode (except for I/O). Features amongst others:
* nested procedure variables
* non-local goto's
* Mac Pascal mode improvements
* nested procedure variables
* univ modifier
* Intrinsics
* sar (shift arithmetic right)
* bsf/bsr (bitscan forward/reverse)
* Delphi compatibility mode improvements
* Nested types, class variables and class local constants
* Advanced records syntax (no constructors yet)
* (for..in) Enumerators in records
* Class and record helpers
* Generic records, arrays and procedural types
* Delphi-compatibility of generics improved
* Scoped enumerations
* Custom messages for "deprecated" directive
* Ability to use "&" for escaping keywords
* New ARM code generator features
* ARM VFPv2 and VFPv3 floating point unit support
* Thumb-2 support

Packages:
* Many improvements to the rtl
* Many improvements to the database units (fcl-db)
* Objective-Pascal interfaces to Foundation, AppKit, CoreData and WebCore
* OpenGL headers updated to OpenGL 4.0

Details about these new features can be found at
http://wiki.freepascal.org/FPC_New_Features_2.6.0

See http://bugs.freepascal.org/changelog_page.php for the list of reported
bugs that have been fixed in this release.
Modify message

Rugxulo

Usono,
05.01.2012, 08:37

@ marcov

FPC 2.6.0 released

Post reply

> Free Pascal 2.6.0 has been released. I don't expect much change in the dos
> port since 2.4.4, but at least it is still there :-)

Indeed.

> For Downloads, please use the FTP server at
>
> ftp://freepascal.stack.nl/pub/fpc/dist/2.6.0/
>
> and sourceforge
>
> https://sourceforge.net/projects/freepascal/files/
>
> as much possible.

Also now mirrored on iBiblio:

http://www.ibiblio.org/pub/micro/pc-stuff/freedos/files/devel/pascal/freepascal/2.6.0/dos260full.zip (37 MB)

> What's New in 2.6.0
> Compiler:
> * Many new language features:
> * ISO 7185 language mode (except for I/O). Features amongst others:
> * nested procedure variables
> * non-local goto's

Good, but "fpc -h" doesn't list it (presumably still considered experimental), plus it doesn't prevent any non-ISO code mixed in. That alone would be a lot of work to implement, so I don't anticipate that.

> * Delphi compatibility mode improvements

Honestly, does anyone expect anything else from FPC? Seriously, this is the bread and butter of FPC.

> Details about these new features can be found at
> http://wiki.freepascal.org/FPC_New_Features_2.6.0

No big complaints, some weird choices, some good stuff, etc.

marcov

05.01.2012, 14:03

@ Rugxulo

FPC 2.6.0 released

Post reply

> > Compiler:
> > * Many new language features:
> > * ISO 7185 language mode (except for I/O). Features amongst others:
> > * nested procedure variables
> > * non-local goto's
>
> Good, but "fpc -h" doesn't list it (presumably still considered
> experimental),

I'm not involved with the ISO stuff, but afaik it's not really a well defined plan for conformity or so.

Effectively, it is simply a mode where ISO extensions (extensions relative to the base TP dialect) are made visible. The features are mostly developed because of Mac Pascal, which is more ISO oriented than TP/Delphi.

> plus it doesn't prevent any non-ISO code mixed in.

Afaik there are no plans to make a "roll your own dialect" system like GPC has, where you can enable/disable many features at will.

> That alone would be a lot of work to implement, so I don't anticipate that.

If sb was interested in that in the first place. As said the current ISO stuff comes from the Mac side of things (and selected core contributors), not from traditional ISO Pascal programmers.

But as usual, the first sane patch must still be refused, and FPC has had such a policy (that it would accept sane ISO related patches) since the nineties already, when a GPC mode was added to 1.0 that never really became a success. (no patches received)

Rugxulo

Usono,
12.01.2012, 23:55

@ marcov

FPC 2.6.0 released

Post reply

Due to the timing, FreeDOS 1.1 being released recently, there was a temporary "freeze" on other news announcements so as to let the FD 1.1 news accumulate across the Internet. The 1.1 release is fairly minor (no "full" distro like last time) but has been a long time coming.

But the freeze has thawed now that everyone knows (Slashdot, eek), so now FPC 2.6.0 has been announced to all the millions of FreeDOS users. :-)