[fpc-pascal] Separate release cycle for RTL and compiler proposal

[Karoly Balogh]

Hi,

On Mon, 19 Apr 2021, Michael Van Canneyt via fpc-pascal wrote:

> > The main remaining problem is our hard-wrapped readme and whatsnew files
> > that look terrible in its installer (because it also performs wrapping
> > and it uses a proportional font, so many hard-wrapped lines get wrapped
> > again). So at least the changed/new parts need manual unwrapping every time.
> >
> > For Mac OS X/PowerPC there is the additional issue that the tool to
> > create installer packages that work on Mac OS X 10.4 no longer works
> > under macOS 10.14, so they have to be created on an older Mac OS X
> > version (I don't know when it broke exactly).
>
> Manual work and requiring an old OS are a problem if you want to automate.
>
> From what you say, both problems are related to the tool you use.
> Are there no other tools that can be used ?

Well, if we're talking about automation, I'm sure some VM can be set up,
and then it almost doesn't matter which version of macOS it is, until it
works.

> I don't know whether Mac OS X/PowerPC still qualifies as a Tier-1 platform;
> But I doubt it. So maybe that can be dropped for these "intermediate"
> releases.

Indeed, but if there's a script which anyone can execute and a release
just "pops out" at the end, then any of us with an old PowerMac can fire
it up, and just execute it. Or actually, you can emulate one with QEMU too
these days. Of course you don't want to run it continuously, but to fire
the emulated machine up, do a build, upload it somewhere and shutting it
down should be perfectly doable for any reasonably fast host, even
headless.

Charlie