If you have Windows background and have heard of all the great things
about Linux and are curious to see if it
is actually true then you have come to the right place.
if you have some programming knowledge in Delphi/Pascal/Basic and want
to find
out what's available in Linux land. Go to links
page to get started!
Mar 9/2006 - Just checked out Freebasic - WOW!!! This is a cool
compiler even if it's still in beta! Don't waste anytime download it now! Works in DOS, Windows,
and Linux!
Feb 9/2006 - Just ported one of my DOS apps from way back! Raster
Master is now a Windows app. Download it and let me know what you
think. Ported from TP to Freepascal. Raster
Master Lives 6.0
Quicklink to my Windows XP/2000 Product Key
Finder (yes find your XP key - even on a non bootable system)
A little history
first...
My interest in programming began with the Amiga Computer. This was a
great computer that brought amazing sound and graphics for it's
time. I played arround with AmigaBasic for a while and thought it
was great! I could create graphics and sound so easily. I had some
basic programming knowledge I learned in High School so I started
creating a few simple games. Nothing that would impress anyone these
days but it was fun back then. I moved on to Benchmark Modula-2 and
learned more about structured programming and all the things I was
doing wrong in AmigaBasic.
Eventually with as much fun as the Amiga was I had to get a PC. I was
looking for a Modula-2 compiler that would be comparable to Benchmark
Modula-2 and kept reading all the great things about Turbo Pascal. I
began with TP 5.5 and after playing arround with it for a few hours I
knew I discovered my new favourate programming language. It had a great
IDE (compared to the Emacs Benchmark Modula-2) and the compile speed
was superfast. It did't take me long to figure out how to program in TP.
My interest in programming faded with the decline in popularity of DOS.
Yes there was Turbo Pascal for Windows and Delphi came along after that
but it didn't have the same feel. As a hobby programmer I decided to
give it a rest. I made a decision that my profession was not
going to be programming. Even though I enjoyed programming I couldn't
see myself doing this task all day long and on projects that I wasn't
interested in - huge ugly databases come to mind.
Over the years I've gone from the Amiga, DOS, Windows 3.1, and all the
way to Windows XP. My current profession can be classified as a
Computer Admin/Technician. It's ideal for me because I get to learn
about the latest OS' and software and get paid for it. Over that time I
have still kept up on my reading about the latest compilers and
programming tools.
One particular project that I have kept my eye on has been Freepascal
and Lazarus. Yes there are other projects going on but this is what
brought the fun back into programming for me. This a great compiler
that just keeps getting better and it looks like it has picked a good
user base. Over the years I have tried various compilers but
didn't really feel that "fun" I had with TP. I can honestly say
programming is once again fun for me.
This web page is my way of puting together everything that I have
learned and maybe it will others avoid some of the mistakes I've made.
Operating Systems
Most of my day to day stuff happens on Windows 2000/XP and at home on
Linux (Fedora Core 3). I have tried using other Linux
distributions but Fedora core 3 was the only one I was able make all my
hardware work. You will find with most people it's
the same way. There are lots of choices these days since most of them
you can test with a "Live" distribution. This just means that you can
run it off the cdrom without having to actually intall it
on your hard drive.
And the Amiga? Well it's still arround and a complete re-write of
the OS is just about to be released! Maybe if they
release an Amiga 1000 upgraded to todays standards I'll buy
one.
Programming
Languages
The main programming languages I will be focusing is on Freepascal and Lazarus. Because alot of Turbo
Pascal and Delphi code will compile with some modification I will
include sites and code that is related. So lets start, go to links to find out where to get the compiler and
some libraries to get started.
More To Come
I know there is not alot of info at the moment but this is just my
starting point. If you have a similar story as me or wish to comment on
anything send me an email at ndqincanada.yahoo.ca