Configuring Lazarus for Android

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Creating a "hello world" app using lazarus for a PC requires minimal skill. Cross compiling for wince arm involves checking some boxes prior to the compile. It is akin to using a cell phone to call and say "hello". For Lazarus to Android however you must first have the skill to climb Mt Everest before using the phone. The skill isn't in coding it is in climbing and avoiding the crevasses of an obtuse cross compile. There is only a short lived return in mastering this obtuse process. It is just to obtuse for many to travel the path so it is destined to become obsolete. It is like learning a dying language spoken by only a few hundred people compared to learning English French Spanish Chinese etc. Lack of intuitive Android support may result in Lazarus becoming a dying language in the tablet universe.

[BigChimp]

If you feel so strongly about it, please contribute to make Android development using Lazarus easier.

[Leledumbo]

If you feel so strongly about it, please contribute to make Android development using Lazarus easier.

Like providing a preconfigured Lazarus complete with NDK & SDK (and eat that gigabytes download)

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Well if the message was factually incorrect the response would be that Lazarus Android is easy and here's why. Often a response to a messenger bringing an unpleasant truth is to shoot the messenger or in this case ask the messenger to come back with a message saying the messenger he/herself has resolved the issue. I gave up on Lazarus for Android app development perhaps many have also done so.
Soon few if any messengers will arrive with fore-warnings of the demise of Lazarus in the tablet universe; especially if they are shot upon speaking the truth. Anyway my message fell on deaf ears so lets drop it.

[marcov]

Well if the message was factually incorrect the response would be that Lazarus Android is easy and here's why.

Nobody said it was easy. Just the Mt Everest analogy, and the wild death-by-tablet extrapolations are ridiculous.

Often a response to a messenger bringing an unpleasant truth is to shoot the messenger or in this case ask the messenger to come back with a message saying the messenger he/herself has resolved the issue.

You are not merely the messenger. You composed that "opinion", so you are responsible for it. As sender/creator, not as messenger.

I gave up on Lazarus for Android app development perhaps many have also done so.

Me too. I don't think Lazarus and mobile go together very well, at least the designer part. But that is more a problem of the extreme volatility of the mobile sector and its users than of Lazarus.

[Scoops]

Hi,

I have only recently bought an android device, and have only briefly delved into
getting a sytem up and running for Android development, it really is a BIG climb.
For the developers who have managed, is it not possible to get a Live Linux disto
pre-configured to allow others to profit.  Lots of developers can code but are not
great at system configuration, maybe a live cd with everything to cross compile for
whatever system suported by Lazarus.  Then all these problems about setting up
for Windows or Linux or Android would be settled.  If you develop in Lazarus
use the Default laz live cd, (settled).  Making life easier will obviously help to get
more people to code using FPC/Lazarus.  My PC is virtually never off, so if ever it
was a case of dowloading gigabytes its not something which bothers me.  As I
said earlier i have only briefly delved into Android, so if this is not possible i will
apologise in advance, and hats off to the developers who do understand and keep
up the good work.

[zariq]

Personally I could put up with the setting up hassles, if at the end of it if it was possible for me to make something useful. I'm not saying it is not possible for anyone to make anything useful. But whenever I have tried to add anything to, or change the example which comes with Lazarus, then the results are not what they should be. I posted about a couple of them issues but never got much of a response.

Communication is the biggest problem at the moment. If we were told that it was being worked on but it is going to take time, then I and most people would happily wait for as long as it took. If somebody said that nothing is being done and nothing will be done go and learn java, then that would be good aswell. As it is nothing is being said e.g.  http://wiki.freepascal.org/Custom_Drawn_Interface/Android#Roadmap

Don't get me wrong I'm not complaining about the rate of progress, but I wouldn't mind knowing if any progress is likely or not.

[Leledumbo]

Don't get me wrong I'm not complaining about the rate of progress, but I wouldn't mind knowing if any progress is likely or not.

AFAIK currently there's only very few people maintaining everything about Android. For LCL, Felipe is the only one working for it.  So you can start asking him (he seems to be gone these days, haven't seen him posting anything). I don't even know who maintains the compiler part.

[zariq]

Felipe has been gone for a few weeks now. Will ask him when he comes back.

[ghassen_khalil]

thank you anyway .. you were very helpful

[marcov]

I don't even know who maintains the compiler part.

Yury did the target support, and a few commits after, last on june 4th

[mbdev]

Take a look at http://www.mbs-software.org/
There are some articles how to setup Lazarus for Android or iOS.
I hope it helps

[mirce.vladimirov]

there's somtehing useful I believe
http://www.pilotlogic.com/sitejoom/index.php/93-wiki/codetyphon-tutorials/222-cross-build-for-android
not tried by myself so please report if it's useful.
I noticed they missed to say about providing the android add-on for the fpc compiler.

[jmpessoa]

Hi ghassen_khalil,

From this thread:
 
Lazarus1.1 For Android (FPC2.7.1

http://forum.lazarus.freepascal.org/index.php/topic,20918.msg121775.html#msg121775

You can download here:

https://skydrive.live.com/?cid=89ae6b50650182c6&id=89AE6B50650182C6%21149


See the zariq post here:

http://forum.lazarus.freepascal.org/index.php/topic,21544.0.html

Greetings!