blaise/README.adoc

= Blaise
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A modern, cross-platform Object Pascal compiler targeting native code via
https://c9x.me/compile/[QBE] (and eventually LLVM). Single language mode,
single string type, zero-GUID interfaces, reified generics, and first-class
https://github.com/graemeg/opdebugger[OPDF] debug format support.

Bootstrapped with https://www.freepascal.org/[Free Pascal Compiler].
Built with https://github.com/graemeg/pasbuild[PasBuild].
Licensed under the BSD 3-Clause licence.

== Design Philosophy

The Object Pascal ecosystem has two options: Embarcadero Delphi (proprietary,
Windows-first) and Free Pascal (open source but carrying 30 years of accumulated
complexity — five language modes, five string types, and thousands of include files).

This compiler takes a different approach:

* *One language mode.* No `{$mode}` switches; no legacy dialect support.
* *One string type.* UTF-8 reference-counted string. `RawBytes` for binary data.
* *One memory model.* Automatic reference counting applies uniformly to
  strings, classes, and interfaces. No manual/auto split between `TObject`
  and `TInterfacedObject`; `[Weak]` breaks cycles. `Free` is retained as a
  synonym for immediate release.
* *Clean interfaces.* No COM GUIDs; interface dispatch via compile-time vtable mapping.
* *Reified generics.* Monomorphization at compile time — no type erasure.
* *Modern build system.* PasBuild with `project.xml`; no makefiles.
* *First-class debugger.* OPDF is the default debug format; DWARF is not required.

See link:docs/design.adoc[docs/design.adoc] for the full architecture and
implementation plan.

== Repository Layout

This project uses PasBuild's multi-module layout. Each subdirectory with a
`project.xml` is an independent module; the root `project.xml` is the aggregator.

....
project.xml                       Root aggregator (packaging=pom)
│
├── compiler/                     The compiler binary (packaging=application)
│   ├── project.xml
│   └── src/
│       ├── main/pascal/          uLexer, uParser, uAST, uCodeGenQBE, ...
│       └── test/pascal/          FPTest test suite for compiler units
│
├── rtl/                          Runtime library (packaging=library)
│   ├── project.xml
│   └── src/
│       ├── main/pascal/          System.pas, SysUtils.pas, Classes.pas, ...
│       └── test/pascal/          FPTest test suite for RTL units
│
├── tools/
│   └── migration-analyser/       FPC/Delphi migration report tool (packaging=application)
│       ├── project.xml           depends on compiler module
│       └── src/
│           ├── main/pascal/
│           └── test/pascal/
│
├── vendor/qbe/                   Vendored QBE backend source (pinned, built from source)
└── docs/                         Design documents and specifications
....

PasBuild compiles each module to its own `target/` subdirectory. Build output is
never committed to the repository.

== Status

[cols="1,3,1", options="header"]
|===
| Phase | Goal | Status

| 1
| Bootstrap pipeline — Hello World on Linux x86_64 via PasBuild
| Complete

| 2
| Type system — classes, records, ARC, exceptions
| Complete

| 3
| Generics + zero-GUID interfaces
| Complete

| 4
| OPDF debug info emission
| Planned

| 5
| Self-hosting + LLVM + Windows + macOS ARM64
| Planned

| 6
| LSP + VS Code extension
| Planned

| 7
| Migration analyser for FPC/Delphi codebases
| Planned
|===

== Building

=== Prerequisites

* Free Pascal Compiler 3.2.2 or later (stable; 3.3.x development snapshots are not required)
* https://github.com/graemeg/pasbuild[PasBuild]
* A C compiler (`gcc` or `clang`) for building the vendored QBE backend
* GNU `ld` or `lld` (Linux); `ld` (macOS)

=== Build all modules

[source,shell]
----
pasbuild compile
----

PasBuild resolves the module dependency order automatically and compiles
`rtl` → `compiler` → `tools/migration-analyser`.

=== Build with a profile

[source,shell]
----
pasbuild compile -p debug      # includes -g -gl -Criot -gh
pasbuild compile -p release    # includes -O2 -CX -XX -Xs
----

=== Run tests

[source,shell]
----
pasbuild test
----

=== Build a single module

[source,shell]
----
pasbuild compile -m blaise-compiler
----

=== Running the compiler

Once built, the compiler binary is at `compiler/target/blaise`.

[source,shell]
----
# Compile a single file
compiler/target/blaise --source Hello.pas --output Hello

# Compile via project.xml
compiler/target/blaise --project project.xml --config debug --output myapp

# Emit QBE IR (useful for debugging the compiler itself)
compiler/target/blaise --source Hello.pas --emit-ir
----

== What Is Dropped From Classic Pascal

[cols="1,3", options="header"]
|===
| Feature | Reason for removal

| `ShortString`, `AnsiString`, `WideString`, `UnicodeString`
| Replaced by a single UTF-8 reference-counted `string` type

| `with` statement
| Source of hard-to-diagnose symbol resolution bugs; breaks static analysis

| Old-style `object` types
| Use `record` (stack/value) or `class` (heap/reference) instead

| COM-style interface GUIDs
| Interface dispatch via compile-time vtable; GUIDs are unnecessary complexity

| Multiple language modes
| One dialect, maintained well, beats five dialects maintained poorly

| `assign`, `reset`, `rewrite`, `blockread`
| Replaced by a stream-based I/O RTL

| `TObject` vs `TInterfacedObject` split
| One unified class model under automatic reference counting; `[Weak]`
  breaks cycles
|===

== Licence

BSD 3-Clause. See link:LICENCE[LICENCE].