[fpc-devel] A little something I've been working on...

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On 2026-02-22 18:11, Kostas Michalopoulos via fpc-devel wrote:
> 
> ...so i do not think that dropping DWARF support is a good idea.

To be very clear, I have no intention of suggesting we drop DWARF 
support. As others have noted, its external tooling support is massive 
and essential.

My research into debugger internals simply led me to a "what if" 
scenario: I realised how much easier things could be using a more 
Pascal-like approach on both the compiler and client sides. By using 
simple, descriptive Pascal records that are easily extensible, the 
architecture remains remarkably clean. So far, that theory has held up 
well.

Every time I've envisioned a new feature, it has been trivial to add. 
Also, because I've designed the debug engine using the Ports & Adapters 
(Hexagonal) pattern, adding IDE support or external tooling requires 
very little effort. As a proof of concept, my reference CLI debugger is 
a single-unit application of only 530 lines, including comments.

I am very close to making the code public for review and feedback; I 
just have one or two last-minute items I'd like to polish before sharing 
it. I was just so excited to see the architecture taking shape that I 
thought I would reveal what's coming a few days early. I look forward to 
hearing everyone's thoughts once the source is up.

Regards,
   - Graeme -