1. Introduction

1.1 About this document

This is the user's manual for Free Pascal. It describes the installation and use of the Free Pascal compiler on the different supported platforms. It does not attempt to give an exhaustive list of all supported commands, nor a definition of the Pascal language. Look at the Reference guide for these things. For a description of the possibilities and the inner workings of the compiler, see the Programmers' guide. In the appendices of this document you will find lists of reserved words and compiler error messages (with descriptions).

This document describes the compiler as it is/functions at the time of writing. Since the compiler is under continuous development, some of the things described here may be outdated. In case of doubt, consult the README files, distributed with the compiler. The README files are, in case of conflict with this manual, authoritative.

1.2 About the compiler

Free Pascal is a 32-bit compiler for the i386 and m68k processors^1.1. Currently, it supports 7 operating systems:

• DOS
• LINUX
• ATARI (version 0.99.5 only)
• AMIGA (version 0.99.5 only)
• WINDOWS
• OS/2 (using the EMX package, so it also works on DOS/Windows)
• FREEBSD (usable, but still under development).

Free Pascal is designed to be, as much as possible, source compatible with Turbo Pascal 7.0 and Delphi 5 (although this goal is not yet attained), but it also enhances these languages with elements like function overloading. And, unlike these ancestors, it supports multiple platforms.

It also differs from them in the sense that you cannot use compiled units from one system for the other.

Also, at the time of writing, there is only a early beta version of an Integrated Development Environment (IDE) available for Free Pascal.

Free Pascal consists of three parts :

1. The compiler program itself.
2. The Run-Time Library (RTL).
3. Utility programs and units.

Of these you only need the first two, in order to be able to use the compiler. In this document, we describe the use of the compiler. The RTL is described in the Reference guide.

1.3 Getting more information.

If the documentation doesn't give an answer to your questions, you can obtain more information on the Internet, on the following addresses:

• http://www.freepascal.org/ is the main site. It contains also useful mail addresses and links to other places. It also contains the instructions for inscribing to the mailing-list.

• http://www.brain.uni-freiburg.de/~klaus/fpc/fpc.html is a mirror of the main Free Pascal information site.

Both places can be used to download the Free Pascal distribution, although you can probably find them on other places also.

Finally, if you think something should be added to this manual (entirely possible), please do not hesitate and contact me at michael@freepascal.org. .

Let's get on with something useful.