Turbo Pascal

File:Turbo Pascal 5.5 with Objects advertising poster.jpg

Turbo Pascal 5.5 with Objects advertising poster

Turbo pascal 30 cover

Turbo Pascal is a software development system that includes a compiler and an integrated development environment (IDE) for the Pascal programming language. It was developed by Borland under the leadership of Philippe Kahn. Turbo Pascal was notable for its fast compilation speed and the compact size of its generated code.

History

Turbo Pascal was first released in 1983. The initial version was developed for the CP/M operating system, but subsequent versions were released for MS-DOS and later for Windows. The product was highly successful and became one of the most popular Pascal compilers of its time.

Features

Turbo Pascal featured an integrated development environment (IDE) that included a text editor, a compiler, and a debugger. This was a significant innovation at the time, as most other development tools required the use of separate programs for editing, compiling, and debugging code.

The compiler was known for its speed, which was achieved through the use of a single-pass compilation process. This allowed developers to quickly compile and test their code, which was a significant advantage over other compilers that required multiple passes.

Versions

Several versions of Turbo Pascal were released over the years, each adding new features and improvements. Some of the notable versions include:

• Turbo Pascal 1.0 (1983)
• Turbo Pascal 3.0 (1986) - Introduced support for the MS-DOS operating system.
• Turbo Pascal 5.0 (1988) - Added a full-screen editor and integrated debugger.
• Turbo Pascal 6.0 (1990) - Introduced object-oriented programming features.
• Turbo Pascal 7.0 (1992) - The final version, which included support for Borland Pascal.

Legacy

Turbo Pascal had a significant impact on the development of software and the popularity of the Pascal programming language. It influenced the design of later development tools and compilers, including Delphi, which was also developed by Borland and is considered the successor to Turbo Pascal.

See also

• Pascal (programming language)
• Borland
• Delphi (software)
• Integrated development environment
• Compiler

Related pages

• Philippe Kahn
• CP/M
• MS-DOS
• Microsoft Windows