salmonegg@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
wrote:
> I need a general purpose language to use on my G4 with the Tiger
operating
> system. I just downloaded and installed Gnu Pascal because I have
> programming experience using Pascal. 500+ pages of the manual is a bit
much
> for me especially when it is not clear where to start. I am willing to
buy
> do***entation. Any answers to the following questions will be
appreciated.
>
> . I have the old Symantec C++ development system. It includes Pascal as
> well as C++. Is that something that can be installed to work in the
Classic
> environment?
>
> 2. Is Gnu Pascal a good system to use? Are there others that may be
easier
> to use?
>
> 3. Where can I find guidance on how to get started with Gnu Pascal? Is
> there a textbook I can use?
>
> 4. What other programs do I need? What kind of a text editor is
typically
> used with Gnu Pascal.
>
I hoped that Mac folks would comment (I am not using Mac). In principle
Gnu Pascal should work in the Classic environment. IIUC it would require
MPW then. However, it looks that nobody tried Gnu Pascal in that
environment, so one my expect problems (bugs).
Gnu Pascal manual is browsable, so you do not need to read all of it. By
default manual comes in info format, so you need info reader, but there
is HTML version online:
http://www.gnu-pascal.de/gpc/index.html#Top
and you can download HTML version from the Gnu Pascal site if you wish.
Gnu Pascal is a command line compiler so the for start just create a
simple program, get to the command line and type:
gpc myprogram.p
where myprogram.p is name of your program. This should either print
messages about error in your program or give you an a.out file,
which is the resulting executable. To modify gpc behaviour you
can give it various options, see:
http://www.gnu-pascal.de/gpc/Invoking-GPC.html
notably, you may want --automake option and -o option.
If you need basic programming text, than any old Pascal book should
do -- Gnu Pascal is very compatible with classic Pascal and examples
should work "as is". To see more advanced features of GPC see examples
linked from:
http://www.gnu-pascal.de/gpc/h-about.html
However, note that GPC manual is a reference manual: you can look up in
the index some construct (say taken from example program) and read what
the constuct mean. You can systematically search the manual to find
something you need. But the manual will not teach you programming --
mostly it assumes you know what you want to do and tells you how to
express this using Gnu Pascal.
Also, Gnu Pascal is multi-platform system, you probably want to look
at (maybe you already did):
http://www.microbizz.nl/gpc.html
for some Mac OS X specific informations.
If you have more questions than asking them on GPC the mailing list is
likely to get you an answer faster.
Since Gpc is a command line compiler it can be used with almost any
editor.
I can not advise you about native Mac editors (but see the microbizz site
above). Popular editors running on multiple platforms are vim and emacs.
But note that personal preferences play crucial role in the choice of
editor
--
Waldek Hebisch
hebisch@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
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