Solve : GNU Pascal 64-bit?

1.	Solve : GNU Pascal 64-bit?
Answer» Being a simple minded person, I'd like a simple to a question about GNU Pascal... Is it (is there a working version) which will make the best use of 64-bit system ? I am thinking of using Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit OS on a core i7 CPU system. The things I read say 32/64 bit (eg http://www.gnu-pascal.de/gpc/h-index.html -> "GNU Pascal, the free 32/64-bit Pascal compiler!") but when I look (eg in the 'about') I don't see W7....nor 64 bit anywhere (that doesn't mean it isn't there, but it's not in idiot-speak)...native 64-bit compiler...blah,blah.. Maybe it would be more helpful if I moved to Linux ? Dumb_Question 25.April.2015Normally with OSS you download the source and compile it yourself. There are ready-made binaries of GPC available here. You'll want the "WIN32 GUI self-extracting installer". It doesn't mention anything about Windows 7 because the project has been ABANDONED as far as I can tell. The latest builds are from 2007, which is before Win7 even released. The Windows build/setup will likely work on Windows 7. Another Pascal project worth considering is FreePascal. It lists what it is compatible with in the introductory paragraph, and it is a long list. You would want this file to install it. Thank you BC_Programmer. Your answer gave some useful information. viz, GNU Pascal is not a true 64-bit compiler, I did not realize that that it seemed to have been abandoned. My heart sank when I read the first line of your post because I thought 'I don't have a compiler' and 'oh no. this I not going to be simple', ut the second line gave some relief. I've looked at freePascal, but getting that to work in 64-bit mode seems complicated (at least for someone of my limited capabilities), but I've downloaded the 32-bit setup exe and I'm going to give that a try. I've got TP7 sort of working in DOSbox under W7, but I don't see the output screen, and the IDE is hard to read compared with what I remember from TP5.5 on Windows NT (or was it just DOS ?) Dumb_Question 25.April.2015 Quote from: Dumb_Question on April 25, 2015, 03:11:04 PM I've looked at freePascal, but getting that to work in 64-bit mode seems complicated (at least for someone of my limited capabilities), but I've downloaded the 32-bit setup exe and I'm going to give that a try. Running it in "64-bit mode" won't really provide you with anything useful. Many modern IDEs such as Visual Studio 2015 are 32-bit applications. The important factor is that you can compile, debug, and run 64-bit programs, not whether the IDE or even the compiler is 64-bit. I thought I had USED FreePascal but I was mistaken, downloading and running it now is not what I remember. It does appear to model after a Text-based Turbo Pascal, so if you are looking for something similar to TP 5.5 that may work). What I was thinking of was a Pascal Development environment that I used, known as LAZARUS. Lazarus is a reasonably well-run project which I confused with FreePascal because it runs on TOP of FreePascal. It provides you with the tooling to develop Pascal programs, and uses the FreePascal compiler to compile. I thought that FreePascal included "Lazarus" which is a Pascal IDE, but I was mistaken. Lazarus can be found here. I believe it is also self-contained. It is effectively a Windows version of Pascal's development software, using standard Windows UI elements that you expect. It appears to be modeled after some of Borlands Early Pascal and Delphi Windows programs, so it will likely not be familiar to you. Turbo Pascal 5.5 was on DOS; their "Turbo Pascal" brand was fairly DOS-exclusive at least with regards to PCs, as I understand it. More importantly, Embarcadero, which is effectively Borland now (or at least owns Pascal/Delphi now) provides Turbo Pascal 5.5 for free. It can be found on their website here. You can probably get that into DOSBox similarly to TP7.

Answer»

Being a simple minded person, I'd like a simple to a question about GNU Pascal...

Is it (is there a working version) which will make the best use of 64-bit system ? I am thinking of using Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit OS on a core i7 CPU system.

The things I read say 32/64 bit (eg http://www.gnu-pascal.de/gpc/h-index.html -> "GNU Pascal, the free 32/64-bit Pascal compiler!") but when I look (eg in the 'about') I don't see W7....nor 64 bit anywhere (that doesn't mean it isn't there, but it's not in idiot-speak)...native 64-bit compiler...blah,blah..

Maybe it would be more helpful if I moved to Linux ?

Dumb_Question
25.April.2015Normally with OSS you download the source and compile it yourself.

There are ready-made binaries of GPC available here. You'll want the "WIN32 GUI self-extracting installer".

It doesn't mention anything about Windows 7 because the project has been ABANDONED as far as I can tell. The latest builds are from 2007, which is before Win7 even released. The Windows build/setup will likely work on Windows 7.

Another Pascal project worth considering is FreePascal. It lists what it is compatible with in the introductory paragraph, and it is a long list. You would want this file to install it.

Thank you BC_Programmer. Your answer gave some useful information.
viz, GNU Pascal is not a true 64-bit compiler, I did not realize that that it seemed to have been abandoned.
My heart sank when I read the first line of your post because I thought 'I don't have a compiler' and 'oh no. this I not going to be simple', ut the second line gave some relief.

I've looked at freePascal, but getting that to work in 64-bit mode seems complicated (at least for someone of my limited capabilities), but I've downloaded the 32-bit setup exe and I'm going to give that a try.

I've got TP7 sort of working in DOSbox under W7, but I don't see the output screen, and the IDE is hard to read compared with what I remember from TP5.5 on Windows NT (or was it just DOS ?)

Dumb_Question
25.April.2015 Quote from: Dumb_Question on April 25, 2015, 03:11:04 PM

I've looked at freePascal, but getting that to work in 64-bit mode seems complicated (at least for someone of my limited capabilities), but I've downloaded the 32-bit setup exe and I'm going to give that a try.

Running it in "64-bit mode" won't really provide you with anything useful. Many modern IDEs such as Visual Studio 2015 are 32-bit applications. The important factor is that you can compile, debug, and run 64-bit programs, not whether the IDE or even the compiler is 64-bit.

I thought I had USED FreePascal but I was mistaken, downloading and running it now is not what I remember. It does appear to model after a Text-based Turbo Pascal, so if you are looking for something similar to TP 5.5 that may work).

What I was thinking of was a Pascal Development environment that I used, known as LAZARUS. Lazarus is a reasonably well-run project which I confused with FreePascal because it runs on TOP of FreePascal. It provides you with the tooling to develop Pascal programs, and uses the FreePascal compiler to compile.

I thought that FreePascal included "Lazarus" which is a Pascal IDE, but I was mistaken. Lazarus can be found here. I believe it is also self-contained. It is effectively a Windows version of Pascal's development software, using standard Windows UI elements that you expect. It appears to be modeled after some of Borlands Early Pascal and Delphi Windows programs, so it will likely not be familiar to you.

Turbo Pascal 5.5 was on DOS; their "Turbo Pascal" brand was fairly DOS-exclusive at least with regards to PCs, as I understand it. More importantly, Embarcadero, which is effectively Borland now (or at least owns Pascal/Delphi now) provides Turbo Pascal 5.5 for free. It can be found on their website here. You can probably get that into DOSBox similarly to TP7.

Solve : GNU Pascal 64-bit?

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