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Virtual Pascal
 
 
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Virtual Pascal is a free
Freeware

Freeware is computer software that is available for use at no cost or for an optional fee. Freeware is different from shareware; the latter obliges the user to pay ....
 32-bit Pascal compiler, IDE and debugger for OS/2
OS/2

OS/2 is a computer operating system, initially created by Microsoft and IBM, then later developed by IBM exclusively. The name stands for "Operating System/2," because it was introduced as part of the same generation change release as IBM's "IBM Personal System/2 " line of second-generation personal computers....
 and Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows

Microsoft Windows is a series of software operating systems and graphical user interfaces produced by Microsoft. Microsoft first introduced an operating environment named Windows in November 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces ....
, with some limited Linux
Linux

Linux is a generic term referring to Unix-like computer operating systems based on the Linux kernel. Their development is one of the most prominent examples of free and open source software collaboration; typically all the underlying source code can be used, freely modified, and redistributed by anyone under the terms of the GNU GPL license...
 support. Although it had a wide user base in the late nineties, VP has not evolved significantly for several years, and the owner declared in 2005 that development had ceased. Virtual Pascal was developed by Vitaly Miryanov and later maintained by Allan Mertner.

There has been pressure from some users for the compiler source to be made into open-source software.






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Virtual Pascal is a free
Freeware

Freeware is computer software that is available for use at no cost or for an optional fee. Freeware is different from shareware; the latter obliges the user to pay ....
 32-bit Pascal compiler, IDE and debugger for OS/2
OS/2

OS/2 is a computer operating system, initially created by Microsoft and IBM, then later developed by IBM exclusively. The name stands for "Operating System/2," because it was introduced as part of the same generation change release as IBM's "IBM Personal System/2 " line of second-generation personal computers....
 and Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows

Microsoft Windows is a series of software operating systems and graphical user interfaces produced by Microsoft. Microsoft first introduced an operating environment named Windows in November 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces ....
, with some limited Linux
Linux

Linux is a generic term referring to Unix-like computer operating systems based on the Linux kernel. Their development is one of the most prominent examples of free and open source software collaboration; typically all the underlying source code can be used, freely modified, and redistributed by anyone under the terms of the GNU GPL license...
 support. Although it had a wide user base in the late nineties, VP has not evolved significantly for several years, and the owner declared in 2005 that development had ceased. Virtual Pascal was developed by Vitaly Miryanov and later maintained by Allan Mertner.

There has been pressure from some users for the compiler source to be made into open-source software. This has not been done, the main reasons being:
  • The compiler source is mostly written in Intel assembly and is complex and hard to maintain
  • Part of the run-time library is proprietary to Borland
  • Documentation and help is maintained with expensive proprietary tools


The compiler is compatible with Turbo Pascal
Turbo Pascal

Turbo Pascal is a complete software development system that includes a compiler and an Integrated Development Environment for the Pascal programming language running under CP/M, CP/M-86, and MS-DOS, developed by Borland under Philippe Kahn's leadership....
, Borland Delphi
Borland Delphi

Delphi is a software development environment for Microsoft Windows applications. It has always supported development of native Windows applications in the Delphi programming language, a further development of Object Pascal....
 and Free Pascal
Free Pascal

Free Pascal is a free software, Portability , open source, Pascal programming language and Object Pascal compiler. The 32/64-bit multi-CPU architecture and cross-platform compiler implements the Borland Pascal programming language dialects as well as some MacPascal constructs, and is available for...
, although language- and RTL-compatibility is limited for features introduced after Delphi v2 and FPC 1.0.x. VP was primarily useful for the following purposes:
  • Easily port existing 16-bit Turbo Pascal
    Turbo Pascal

    Turbo Pascal is a complete software development system that includes a compiler and an Integrated Development Environment for the Pascal programming language running under CP/M, CP/M-86, and MS-DOS, developed by Borland under Philippe Kahn's leadership....
     programs to 32 bits
  • Port existing 16-bit OWL
    Object Windows Library

    The Object Windows Library is a Borland C++ object-oriented framework originally designed for Windows API. It was used in Turbo Pascal for Windows, Borland Pascal and their Borland C++ package....
     programs to 32-bit Windows
  • Write console (text-mode) programs for several platforms
  • Pascal development using the 32-bit Windows API
  • Learn object-oriented programming


Significant features of Virtual Pascal include:
  • Text-mode IDE
  • Debugger of VP is built directly into the IDE and is reminiscent of Turbo Debugger
  • Fast compilation
  • Tool-chain written mostly in Intel assembly


See also

  • Pe2elf
    Pe2elf

    PE2ELF and PE2LE are cross-linkers - software, designed to remap executable modules from one executable file format to another.They were written by Joerg Pleumann Kannegieser, and is also distributed with the Virtual Pascal Windows installation, where they're used to relink Win32 executables for OS/2 and Linux operating systems....
  • Free Pascal
    Free Pascal

    Free Pascal is a free software, Portability , open source, Pascal programming language and Object Pascal compiler. The 32/64-bit multi-CPU architecture and cross-platform compiler implements the Borland Pascal programming language dialects as well as some MacPascal constructs, and is available for...


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