[fpc-pascal] updating an old DOS tool using PChar strings

[Paul Breneman]

On 02/20/2014 12:51 PM, waldo kitty wrote:
> On 2/19/2014 8:30 PM, Paul Breneman wrote:
>> On 02/19/2014 03:06 PM, waldo kitty wrote:
>> ...
>>> any help is appreciated and thanks for reading this quite possibly
>>> rambling post emanating from my scrambled brain cells...
>>
>>
>> FPC DOS is pretty easy for a console program, but it is 32-bit
>> (whereas DOS is
>> 16-bit) so it isn't as simple as Turbo Pascal.
>
> yes, that's what i'm seeing, too... i mean, the coding isn't a real
> problem... but trying to handle data from old 16bit applications can be
> problematic in some cases...
>
>> I think my most enjoyable work ever was during the past 3.5 years,
>> using Turbo
>> Pascal on expensive real-time embedded equipment.
>
> i still get a lot of enjoyment with what i do with my old TP6 and BP7
> installations... but i stay very basic in them for the most part... only
> rarely have i used PChar (for example) or similar constructions... i
> have been having fun with a new app i've been playing with for several
> years that's written completely with FPC... lots of pointer suff for
> strings and lists being used there... switching gears between the two
> ""styles"" is rough at times :)
>
>> There is a 5 MB zip here that should make it easy to get started with
>> FPC for DOS:
>>    http://www.turbocontrol.com/helloworld.htm
>
> thank you, sir! i shall take a look :)
>

Please let me know if it helps.  Simplicity seems more valuable to me 
all the time!  :)

A week ago I shared with another Delphi programmer the info below about 
my recent Turbo Pascal project (and a little bit more).

****************

I was able to have (a single set of) source code that was used for about 
15 versions of about 6 different products.  One batch file called about 
15 batch files (one for each product/version) that compiled the source 
and compared the resulting executables against what had been shipped. 
I've done similar things before (but never had so much technical fun):
   http://brenemanlabs.com/SrcCtrl.htm

Every since C# got popular I enjoy meeting programmers who don't know 
much about Delphi.  Look at the 6th message in this thread if you want 
to see my normal response:
   http://www.control.com/thread/1294638212

The bottom of this page has a little of my APro history:
   http://turbocontrol.com/APro.htm
Last month Embarcadero mentioned AsyncPro on their "devices and gadgets" 
XE5 seminar. I'm hoping to upgrade some of my APro examples soon.