The future of Free Pascal

[SymbolicFrank]

D also has all its variables on the thread local storage (TLS), unless they are annotated with "__gshared" or "shared", and two multi thread paradigms: "MessageBoxes" that allow to easily send receive between threads and "Tasks". Even with mutable data you don't need to lock all the time, but only when you access non-TLS data. I think all modern compilers do something like that nowadays.

Actually I'd surprised if someone tells me that FPC doesn't put the variables declared in a class or a struct on the TLS.

Yes, local variables in FPC reside on the stack, which is thread-specific. Unless they're objects.

The main problem is in passing the messages and have the thread activate when a new message is received.

Linux likes pipes, which aren't randomly accessible. And Windows likes message loops, where only the primary thread can send them. Both don't have a mechanism where any thread can send a message to any other random thread. And for distributed processing, you might want to scale that "any" up to "any thread on any computer".

Edit: I do agree that Smalltalk was the best way to go. Objective-C (while a watered-down subset of Smalltalk), still has an edge on most everything else, as far as concurrency and scaling goes.

[avra]

I like the try...finally...except...end idea, but your above code example without begin..end blocks is a nightmare in the making.

I don't think so. Unlike in 'old' Pascal, in newer Wirthian languages each if requires an end. Therefore your example would not be valid, and such syntax makes sense. You already use mentioned syntax with try..finally..end block. No need for begin/end and you can write more then one command inside of the block. If that is logical to you, I don't see any other reason beyond legacy for not liking it. Code looks much cleaner and easier to follow.

[Ñuño_Martínez]

First, sorry for the late answer.  I was pretty busy.

@Ñuño_Martínez just asking why there is multiple engine and wrappers for making game with Pascal? is it good really in compare of other popular engine? what games these Pascal ones are good at?
I like Pascal very much but I want to know what can these Pascal engines do in compare of existence big and reliable engines?

There are multiple engine and wrappers for making games with any language.  Get C/C++:  You have Irrlitch, Unreal Engine and DooM engines, and you can go for older stuff and can use Build, Genesis3D and more.  If you go to libraries, you have DirectX, Allegro, SDL and more.

Since Pascal isn't a popular language, the most important advantage to use these engines/libraries in Pascal is to use our beloved language.  I think Pascal has some advantages over C in High Level development, and that's why I use it to build games.  But I use C some times too.  I never use C++ or C#: I don't like them.

About the topic, I think a lot of you would be happy using QuickBASIC.  Note I don't say VisualBasic, I've said QuickBASIC.  To be sincere, I miss QuickBASIC.

[Edson]

You already use mentioned syntax with try..finally..end block. No need for begin/end and you can write more then one command inside of the block.

In fact, Pascals include such construction from the beginning, in the "REPEAT ... UNTIL" sentence, and later in the "CASE ... ELSE ... END". Both of them, presents blocks without BEGIN ... END.

[Thaddy]

To be sincere, I miss QuickBASIC.

Actually: I am missing Turbo/ PowerBasic.... Which once was QuickBasic on steroids..

[Thaddy]

Both of them, presents blocks without BEGIN ... END.

You forgot to mention labels Which can also be blocks without begin end.

Oh, well, I should goto sleep..

[ArtLogi]

Both of them, presents blocks without BEGIN ... END.

You forgot to mention labels Which can also be blocks without begin end.

Oh, well, I should goto sleep..

Gosub sleep`?

[Thaddy]

Both of them, presents blocks without BEGIN ... END.

You forgot to mention labels Which can also be blocks without begin end.

Oh, well, I should goto sleep..

Gosub sleep`?

Naahhhh, I knew Pascal before Basic.... Apple ][e UCSD Pascal.

[kupferstecher]

I like the try...finally...except...end idea, but your above code example without begin..end blocks is a nightmare in the making.

I don't think so. Unlike in 'old' Pascal, in newer Wirthian languages each if requires an end. Therefore your example would not be valid, and such syntax makes sense.

In my opinion having both options (single statement and blocks) is quite usefull. I often use single line ifs and dos, it makes the code short and easy to understand.

In my code the if-structures always look somehow like this:

Code: Pascal  [Select][+][-]

1. if x > 0 then SingleStatement;
2.  
3. if x > 0
4. then SingleStatement;
5.  
6. if x > 0
7. then SingleStatement
8. else SingleStatement2;
9.  
10. if x > 0 then begin
11.   Statement1;
12.   Statement2;
13. end else begin
14.   Statement3;
15.   Statement4;
16. end;

A possible syntax could be using the line break after then-statement as indicator if its a single statement or a block with following end-statement.

The above statements then would look quite similar:

Code: Pascal  [Select][+][-]

1. if x > 0 then SingleStatement;
2.  
3. if x > 0
4. then SingleStatement;
5.  
6. if x > 0
7. then SingleStatement
8. else SingleStatement2;
9.  
10. if x > 0 then
11.   Statement1;
12.   Statement2;
13. else
14.   Statement3;
15.   Statement4;
16. end;

The following would be a syntax ERROR:

Code: Pascal  [Select][+][-]

1. if x > 0
2. then Statement1; //if-structure already finnished here.
3.      Statement2;
4. end;

The "single-line"-structure could even be extended allowing multiple statements in the same line:

Code: Pascal  [Select][+][-]

1. if x > 0
2. then found:= true; EXIT;

Such a syntax allows clear code without overhead.
Do-structures would look the same of course.

[marcov]

Line breaks are parsed as whitespace only. Changing that would be very massive. (not that this is all academical).

I use a lot of single statement too, but I also have to change a lot of them to accommodate more commands later. The advantage of the mandatory end is that the IDE can always generate an end; to match and if etc.

Because that is so sure, the typing overhead of the mandatory end is small, while you save ALL block begins except procedural.

But of course totally new blocksystems are rarely invented. I would go with either M2 or Pascal, not combinations or even weirder stuff. And since this is the FreePASCAL forum this probably will be the case till a M2 mode is submitted 

[SymbolicFrank]

The only time I ever use single-statement ifs is these:

Code: Pascal  [Select][+][-]

1. if not Assigned(SomeParam) then Exit;

Because of the chance I overlook it and do things like:

Code: Pascal  [Select][+][-]

1. if Something then
2.   DoSomething;
3.   DoOtherThings;
4. if SomethingElse then Exit;
5.  

That's also why using line breaks as syntax elements is not a good idea.

[BeniBela]

Lazarus seems to parse the indentation to automatically insert an end; at the right place

Except for case statements. There it always puts the end; at the wrong place

Line breaks are parsed as whitespace only. 

They are?

Really?

Then why are there no multiline strings?

They are not! Checkmate

 

The only time I ever use single-statement ifs is these:
 ]

Because of the chance I overlook it and do things like:

Code: Pascal  [Select][+][-]

1. if Something then
2.   DoSomething;
3.   DoOtherThings;
4. if SomethingElse then Exit;
5.  

 

Recently I overlooked a

Code: Pascal  [Select][+][-]

1. if Something then ;
2. DoSomething;
3.  

and was confused. Never happened before. You really get too old for programming way too fast

[Martin_fr]

Code: Pascal  [Select][+][-]

1. if Something then ;
2. DoSomething;

See pic, that issue can be made easy to spot. Since code completion sometimes places a ";" while typing the if condition, the problem is not that uncommon.

I detect it with 0 or 1 space. But one can add more space too. As long as the ; is on the same line.

[skalogryz]

See pic, that issue can be made easy to spot. Since code completion sometimes places a ";" while typing the if condition, the problem is not that uncommon.

I detect it with 0 or 1 space. But one can add more space too. As long as the ; is on the same line.

Ugh... not sure about future of FreePascal, but looking at Lazarus configuration screen ... it is complex

btw, is the usage of "User defined markup" explained anywhere? I wouldn't guess to put the markup code into the column on the right.

[Martin_fr]

F1 should take you right here: http://wiki.lazarus.freepascal.org/IDE_Window:_Editor_User_Defined_Words

IIRC there was/is a request to make the list of word part more intuitive. Matter of time to spent on it.