Announcement: Borland extensions for GPC_(re)

Tue, 7 Nov 1995 16:25:59 +0000 (GMT)

Hello, Peter Gerwinski! You wrote:

> According to Arcadio Alivio Sincero:
> > 
> > 	Awesome.  Good job Peter!

Same sentiments here.

> I think that for many applications you actually *need* the Borland 
> "non-standard".  For example, for lo-level programming you need a 
> bitwise "and" and a bit-shift operator for integers.  Moreover, I feel
> Borland Pascal Units to be much more comfortable than Extended Pascal
> Modules due to the repetition of each exported identifier in an
> "export" clause.

I agree entirely. I also think that this "non-standard" has become a
standard in its own right - as a matter of fact, even if not as a matter of
law. The fact that everybody else is now trying to implement it (StonyBrook,
Speed Pascal, Virtual Pascal, Cabot UCSD Pascal) means that it has come to
stay, and should therefore be supported by Pascal compilers (even if only as
an option available through compiler switches).


>  However, I am willing to contribute to this
> "finishing up" if somebody tells me what has to be done.

Personally, I would suggest that your efforts would better serve the Pascal
community by implementing more of the Borland extensions, to achieve as much
compatibility as is necessary  - and somebody else can work on Extended
Pascal. Specialisation in this way is very good. Eventually, GPC may become
the best Pascal environment around, in the sense of supporting all the major
"standards". If this were so, we could then begin to really compete with C
on portability, and give C a run for its money.

> I don't know of an explicit Linux version at kampi.hut.fi, but GPC
> compiles straightforwardly under Linux.  Nevertheless, I have
> archives with ready-to-run binaries for EMX (DOS and OS/2) as well
> as for Linux.  Shall I upload them?

Probably, yes. I would surely like to get my hands on ready-to-run binaries
for DOS and OS/2 if Borland compatibility were there.

Is there a Win32 version anywhere - or is there any plan for one?

Warmest regards,
The Chief
---------
Dr. Abimbola A. Olowofoyeku  (The African Chief)
Keele University, England    (and, The Great Elephant)
Email: laa12@keele.ac.uk      or,  chief@mep.com

A.A. Olowofoyeku (laa12@cc.keele.ac.uk)