What Pascal-based languages do you know?

[WILL]

Hey just wanted to see how much each dialect of both Object-Oriented and non-Object-Oriented Pascal is being used in games and other related projects.

What language(s) do you know and use above? (Select all that apply!)

[WILL]

I should note that OBJECTIVE-Pascal is NOT OBJECT Pascal. Objective-Pascal is a cross between formats of Pascal that FPC uses (since it encompasses more than any one dialect) and Objective-C as used by Apple's Xcode development tool used to program on Mac OS X.

As much as I am familiar with it, I've not actively used it for my Mac development so I can't really check it off myself. :)

[WILL]

So who voted other dialect? I did say to post about it! :P

[Ingemar]

It feels a bit odd to vote for Object Pascal (old Mac) and Objective Pascal because that sounds as if I would code in pure OOP code, while my code is mainly non-OOP or a kind of hybrid. So if you think alternative 2-5 necessarily means pure OOP, I would consider that incorrect, unrelated. What tools you use does not necessarily imply a certain coding style.

[WILL]

It feels a bit odd to vote for Object Pascal (old Mac) and Objective Pascal because that sounds as if I would code in pure OOP code, while my code is mainly non-OOP or a kind of hybrid. So if you think alternative 2-5 necessarily means pure OOP, I would consider that incorrect, unrelated. What tools you use does not necessarily imply a certain coding style.

1st Language Syntax:
Actually in the case of Object Pascal, since it hasn't been officially standardized, it does out of circumstance. The original Object Pascal was developed by Apple Computer to program on a Macintosh running MacOS of the time. A language standard was written and proposed to a standards board, but never made official.

2nd Language Syntax:
After a while Object Pascal was dropped entirely and years later picked up by Borland and used as a 'language template' of sorts for their version of the syntax that would be put into their Delphi IDE/Compiler tools. This is where the language actually got really popular and grew a cult following. (And also where the company thought it could turn a programming language into a product at the same time, because they changed and added a few small things. (not annoyed by this at all))

3rd Language Syntax:
RemObjects created their own compiler for creating .NET applications based upon the previous versions of Object Pascal used in Delphi. The compiler was eventually licensed by Embarcadero and adopted into Delphi Prism. As of version XE 2 it would seem that they are changing the name from Delphi Prism to just Prism. This new Object Pascal 'standard' features different syntax for newer language features that needed to be added for 64-bit and managed code features not created by Delphi tool developers.

So there was basically, over the years since it's first creation, a total of 3 dialects of Object Pascal. Two of those are actively being developed and tweaked to date. (Without an official standard to work from.)


I didn't even get into breaking up Classic Pascal. It's pretty much the entire origins of the language it's self from Nicolus Wirth to Borland Pascal 7. Classic Pascal just sums it all up nicer. :)

[Eric]

DWScript (http://delphitools.info/dwscript/)

[WILL]

Neat! :) What dialect is DWScript based from originally?

[Eric]

Originally, it was based in Delphi dialect, these days, it's supports the Delphi dialect, but also many Prism constructs, and some FreePascal compatible stuff (some directives f.i., compound assignment operators, etc.)
The idea is to be quite cross-dialect, so users from varying backgrounds can pick it up.

[WILL]

I guess FPC has sort of grown it's own deviation from the other dialects too hasn't it? With the addition of Generics and 64-bit compilation it seems that FPC had to make it's own branch.

[Eric]

Yep, every new language feature you pioneer, you have to "invent" an aspect of a dialect, usually rather than inventing out of the blue, you look at what other languages have done, but that stills leaves quite a variety of ways to express something.

[Ingemar]

I guess FPC has sort of grown it's own deviation from the other dialects too hasn't it? With the addition of Generics and 64-bit compilation it seems that FPC had to make it's own branch.
FPC also combines Delphi style and Mac style in the same compiler - plus the Objective Pascal extensions.

[WILL]

Well yes FPC does do that, but that's just implementation, not dialect. :)