[fpc-devel] How do I go about volunteering as a "release builder", so that we can get rid of the objectively untrue, misleadingly worded "There is no native compiler available for x86_64 Win64. You have to use a cross-compiler" notice on the FPC website?

[Florian Klämpfl]

Am 04.11.2018 um 00:09 schrieb Ben Grasset:
> I've been happily building 64-bit FPC natively on Windows for over five years now. It works fine. It is stable. There is
> no logical reason whatsoever to use a 32-bit to 64-bit FPC cross compiler in 2018 if you are running 64-bit Windows
> natively, and anyone who thinks there is doesn't use Windows enough.
> 
> As just one example, I've seen more than one instance of people on the Lazarus forums posting threads asking about how
> they can work around out-of-memory errors while building Lazarus, and who also mention that they're running 64-bit
> Windows. Realistically, the logical conclusion is that all of these people are of course using a 32-bit to 64-bit cross
> compiler, possibly only because they think they have no other choice.
> 
> The bundled FPC that comes with the 64-bit Windows Lazarus installer is now also a native 64-bit build. So why does the
> FPC website still insist on redirecting to the Win32 cross compiler? (On Sourceforge, of all places.)
> 
> Personally as it stands now I just recommend the use of FPCUpDeluxe and actively avoid directing anyone interested in
> starting out with FPC to the official downloads page, as it just doesn't make FPC look very good. (The same could be
> said about the various other wildly outdated bits of information on the overall site and the fact that it gives
> now-hugely-irrelevant topics like "porting from TP7" such precedence, but that's a different issue.)
> 
> That being said, if there's a way I can help to fix this, at least partially, I'm interested to know what that might be!
> 

Roughly:

1) create the *.ist files for a win64 hosted environment (see fpcbuild/install for the existing ones)
2) extend the fpcbuild makefile to be able to create
3) build the needed 64 bit binutils and utilities
4) provide everything somewhere so it can be integrated the fpcbuild repository
5) build all installers for win64, provide them somewhere, ask for testing, fix issues
6) build installers as soon as rc's are built