Hello!
According to David Rauschenbach:
[...] In my mind, Pascal is the *perfect* language to see a Java bytecode implementation.
Something *very* similar to this already existed many years ago: UCSD Pascal. I consider this the direct ancestor of Borland Pascal. (Somebody knows some details?)
I've used Borland Delphi over the years, and I regret that the native ties to the O/S (Win32 messaging calls, and assembly-language RTL pieces) which made it successful and a fast performer in the short term, are the very thing that keep it from realizing its potential as a totally outstanding cross-platform tool.
GNU compilers are already highly portable without any bytecode. You can compile the same GNU Pascal source on DOS as well as on AIX, Solaris, Irix, or Linux.
That possibility is still open for GNU Pascal. Just a thought, in case there are any college professors on this list who might see this as both a fresh and relevant spin on a traditional compiler course, and a worthy contribution to GNU.
Something close to this is already being worked on: Scan the source of gcc-2.7.2.x or gcc-2.8.0 for "bytecode".
I don't know if that's the same bytecode Java produces. Somebody knows?
We all want to write our Pascal, and not see it stop running 10 years from now just because we've changed our operating environments.
This cannot happen with GNU compilers unless somebody imposes things like undocumentated API calls etc. intentionally to prevent the world from porting GNU to that system.
Greetings,
Peter