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The '''Pascal''' [[programming language]] was developed by [[Niklaus Wirth]] as a tool for [[structured programming]] which would at the same time be simple to process for a [[compiler]]. Wirth named the language in honor of [[Blaise Pascal]]. He based the language on the [[Algol programming language]]. Wirth also developed [[Modula programming language|Modula-2]], a language similar to Pascal which also supports object oriented programming.
'''Implementations'''
Early approaches (most notably the [[UCSD]] system) translated Pascal code into a machine-independent [[P-code machine|P-code]] representation. This intermediate code was then interpreted by a program specific to each architecture. As a consequence, only the small interpreter part had to be ported over to many architectures.▼
▲Early approaches (most notably the [[UCSD]] system) translated Pascal code into a machine-independent [[P-code machine|P-code]] representation. This intermediate code was then interpreted by a program specific to each architecture. As a consequence, only the small interpreter part had to be ported over to many architectures.
In the late [[1980s]] the Pascal community concentrated mainly on the [[IBM PC]] platform, driven in large parts by the inexpensive ''Turbo Pascal'' compiler by [[Borland]]. Many PC hobbyists in search for a structured replacement for [[BASIC programming language|BASIC]] used this product. ''Turbo Pascal'', being available only on one architecture, translated directly to [[Intel 8088]] [[machine language|machine code]], making it much faster than interpreted schemes.
During the [[1990s]] compilers that can be re-targeted to different hardware architectures became more prevalent. This allowed for Pascal translation to native machine code that is at the same time easily ported to new hardware.
With ''Turbo Pacal'' version 5 Borland added [[Object Oriented Programming|Object Orientation]] to Pascal forming the ''Object Pascal'' dialect. Their main language from [[1996]] on, [[Delphi programming language|Delphi]], is in turn based on this.
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Several Pascal compilers are available for the use of general public:
* [http://agnes.dida.physik.uni-essen.de/~gnu-pascal/about.html GNU Pascal Compiler] (GPC) is an additional front-end to the GNU Compiler Collection ([[GCC]]), and is written in C. Distributed freely under the [[GNU General Public License]].
* [http://www.freepascal.org FreePascal] is written in Pascal (so that it compile itself), and is aimed at providing a convenient and powerful compiler, able both to compile legacy applications and to be the means of develop new ones. Also distributed freely under the GNU GPL.
* [http://community.borland.com Turbo Pascal] was the dominant Pascal compiler for PCs during the 80s and early 90s, popular both because of its powerful extensions and extremely low compilation times. Currently, older versions of Turbo Pascal (up to 5.5) are available for free download from Borland's site (registration required).
* [http://www.borland.com/kylix/ Kylix] is Borland's newest reiteration of the Pascal branch of their products. It is the descendant of [[Delphi programming language|Delphi]], with support for the [[Linux]] operating system and an improved object library. The compiler and the IDE are available now for non-commercial use. The compiler (but not the library or the IDE) is supposed to become [[Open Source]] software some time soon.
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