[fpc-pascal]Performance: Free Pascal vs GNU Pascal

[Mark Emerson]

How fast is the code generated by FPC versus GPC?  Have there been any
benchmarks comparing FPC with GPC....especially on Windows...in other
words how well are these compilers optimizing?

I haven't written Pascal code in years...but the Borland compilers made
code that "screamed"....on those old platforms.  While I realize a
comparison might not be possible, how does FPC (and GPC) compare to the
old Borland style compilers?

Also, does anyone have a feeling of how the current Pascal optimizations
compare to the C compiler optimizations for various platforms?  In other
words, is there any merit to the claim I'ver heard that the fastest
compiled code comes from C compilers?

My questions are loosely structured, and perhaps naive...but nonetheless
important as I make a fundamental decision regarding my development
environment.  Any light on the subject would be appreciated.

MarkLDE