[fpc-devel] Unicodestring branch, please test and help fixing

[Marco van de Voort]

In our previous episode, listmember said:
> > - Texts (strings) at the compiler language level.
> > - (complex) GUI design that needs to handle a lot of text and a lot of extra
> >    properties.
> 
> If you draw the lines so red and thick, who am I to disagree...
> 
> But, I could write a gigantic data mining application, a database 
> application or a myriad of such apps that uses the above class without 
> doing a single pixel of GUI stuff.

True, and the ability to customize the string type on even the character
level would downright kill performance. Because the compiler can't really
exploit knowledge that it can now (basic 16-bit array on the base level)
 
> > For GUI design, you may well need all the things you describe.
> > And as I said before: you can do this yourself if you need it.
> 
> True.
> 
> I could also do my own TList, TStringList etc. etc. but, luckily I don't 
> have to.

Don't get me started on tstringlist.
 
> I was under the impression, therefore, that stuff that makes life easier 
> for a number of developers get to be included into the main distribution 
> for common use; 

Yes. But most specially it should make life impossible for a group of other
developers. (like the ones that have to process a multi GB database export
regularly)