[fpc-devel] My roadmap

[Hans-Peter Diettrich]

Here's a final note on my FPC branches. While I could gather much 
information about the FPC implementation, during these experiments, I 
understand now that FPC - as a production compiler - will not undergo 
much refactoring. So I'll discontinue work on these branches, and 
continue further activities outside the FPC project and repository.

The recent (rudimentary) implementation of an Oberon/Component Pascal 
(CP) parser suggests to me provisions for an extensible/experimental 
compiler, based on the FPC infrastructure and back-ends, code name 
FpcEx. My contribution to that project will be a transparent layer 
between the FPC infrastructure and the parser, that makes the 
implementation of modified or new parsers easier, without much knowledge 
about the FPC implementation details. Modifications of other aspects of 
the compiler will be supported as well, at least on demand (AnsiStrings, 
hashtables, file/dir cache, garbage collection, threads...). For 
demonstration purposes of the intended features and changes I've added 
the CP to the AltParser branch, further updates to that branch are not 
planned. If somebody is interested in such a project, further details 
can be discussed in fpc-other, for now.

The FpcEx project will not take into account small machines, with 
limited RAM and processing power, because such machines can be supported 
by cross compilation. This restriction will allow to implement several 
improvements, that may speed up compilation on current mainstream PCs. 
It also will allow to use more classes and virtual methods, what's not 
acceptable in an production compiler, but is essential for an 
experimental/extensible compiler.

DoDi