How to install different FPC versions on Linux
lazarus / 1-Linux

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TurboRascal · 2012-01-07 00:04

I was wondering how to do it for having both stable and current
Lazarus versions, since they need different compiler versions.
Installing different lazarus versions is not hard, they just need two
different install directories. However, contrary to windows
installations where each different Lazarus directory has its own fpc
subdir, in Linux FPC is installed system-wide, so normally there
shouldn't be but one instance installed, and if a different version is
installed, for example under /usr/local, they would clash.

I wonder if the right approach would be similar to windows installs,
having different fpc versions under some arbitrary subdirectories?
Even then, I still need a system-wide fpc installation, so I wonder if
it will collide with another fpc used by one of lazarus versions which
needs it, so that lazarus instance might have problems?

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marcov · 2012-01-07 01:13

Quote from: TurboRascal on January 07, 2012, 01:04:24 amI was
wondering how to do it for having both stable and current Lazarus
versions, since they need different compiler versions. Installing
different lazarus versions is not hard, they just need two different
install directories. However, contrary to windows installations where
each different Lazarus directory has its own fpc subdir, in Linux FPC
is installed system-wide, so normally there shouldn't be but one
instance installed, and if a different version is installed, for
example under /usr/local, they would clash.

I wonder if the right approach would be similar to windows installs,
having different fpc versions under some arbitrary subdirectories?
Even then, I still need a system-wide fpc installation, so I wonder if
it will collide with another fpc used by one of lazarus versions which
needs it, so that lazarus instance might have problems?

(untested, just a direction that you could look into)

You could use add a fpc -V parameter to one.

Snince

fpc -V2.4.4   <rest of parameters>

will execute (assuming x86)

ppc386-2.4.4 <rest of parameters. 

a symlink from "ppc386-2.4.4" to the real v2.4.4 ppc386 in
/usr/local/bin allows both to be in paralel

Its configuration can be worked around by version specific ifdeffing
in the cfg file.

But that only solves the main program. Utils and the fpc binary itself
(mostly important if both are not the same architecture, e.g. x86 and
x86_64) are additional problems.

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TurboRascal · 2012-01-15 03:27

It seems this is quite complicated to do, bordering on unfeasible...
So it seems nobody actually installs release and development versions
side by side on a linux machine?

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CaptBill · 2012-01-15 03:54

How about a small app to simply swap the directory containing the
version you desire? The apps job is to simply add,say, a prefix to the
/Lazarus directory to /VER-Lazarus. Then, strip the prefix from the
version you want loaded to the /Lazarus directory.

I did this manually in file manager and remember it working.

(or was that Windows where you can do that?)

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BigChimp · 2012-01-15 10:39

Quote from: TurboRascal on January 07, 2012, 01:04:24 amHowever,
contrary to windows installations where each different Lazarus
directory has its own fpc subdir, in Linux FPC is installed system-
wide, so normally there shouldn't be but one instance installed, and
if a different version is installed, for example under /usr/local,
they would clash.

I wonder if the right approach would be similar to windows installs,
having different fpc versions under some arbitrary subdirectories?
Even then, I still need a system-wide fpc installation, so I wonder if
it will collide with another fpc used by one of lazarus versions which
needs it, so that lazarus instance might have problems?
Maybe I'm being a terrible newb here, but why would the FPC versions
clash? E.g.:
Install systemwide FPC and whatever primary Lazarus install you
wantGet another FPC, e.g. from SVN, make all, make install under e.g.
~/fpcdevGenerate an fpc.cfg in ~/fpcdev bin directory using
fpcmkcfgGet/compile another Lazarus using make
FPC=~/fpcdev/whereverbin/ppcbinary so Laz gets compiled with the right
FPCRun secondary Lazarus with --primary-config path set to a new
directory, e.g. ~/lazarusdev/Set up secondary Lazarus Options/Paths,
specifying FPC directory as ~/fpcdev/wherever...
In short, more or less like Windows. There would be a system level FPC
but that wouldn't be called by the second Lazarus as the path in Laz
options would be correct; fpc.cfg is set up separately.
Additionally, system wide binutils (make etc) would be used but that
shouldn't lead to problems...

I'm probably missing something if Marco starts down the road of arcane
FPC parameters.... so corrections/explanation welcome 

In any case, bug reports/patches/feature requests/ideas for my
FPC/Lazarus SVN downloader/installer are welcome, as I intend to use
this tool for exactly this purpose:
http://lazarus.freepascal.org/index.php/topic,15701.msg84666.html#msg8
4666


(Linux support is not done completely yet, though
Edit: fixed wrong link

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TurboRascal · 2012-01-16 16:34

@CaptBill: Your idea would be fine for Lazarus itself, but I need
different compiler versions, not different Lazarus versions  In my
linux installation (Ubuntu, should be the same in Debian) there is
already something in that direction - it is installed under
/usr/lib/lazarus/ directory, which contains a <version> directory
(e.g. 0.9.30) and a symlink namde default pointing to id. If you had
several versions, they would be under version named directories, and
your program would just switch which of those directories the symlink
points to.

@BigChimp: I guess I'll try something like that. I've installed both
0.9.30.2 and a 0.9.31 in the /usr/local tree, and they're both using
fpc 2.4.4. I guess I'll just install the 2.6.0. under the testing
version Lazarus dir, exactly as it is in windows, and point Lazarus to
it and see what happens. I'd like it more to have 2.6.0 systemwide and
install 2.4.4 for Lazarus 0.9.30.2 only, but there is no fpc 0.6.0 for
amd64 architecture deb available yet...

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CaptBill · 2012-01-17 03:48

This is where a custom repository would be nice. Put all the versions
into extensions: fpc2-4-2.ext,fpc2-6.ext, laz-x-x.ext, etc etc. Even
components could reside in the local repo... Or anything else, for
that matter.

A middle-tier between the file system and OS.

Then you "mount" the system you need, when you need it. Group
extensions into "packages", which equal a full "install" with fpc
version, Lazarus version, and components of your choice.

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Zoran · 2012-01-17 06:45

On my Kubuntu 11.10 I removed FPC 2.4.4, installed 2.6.0, recompiled
both versions of Lazarus I have (0.9.30.3 - fixes and 0.9.31 - trunk).
I have no problem, both these versions of Lazarus work well with FPC
2.6.0.
I have 32 bit installation of Kubuntu, so I haven't tried this with 64
bit FPC, but... why would it make any problem when there is no
problems in 32 bit? You should try!

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TurboRascal · 2012-01-17 20:31

There is no problem in 64-bit, but there are no fpc 2.6.0 debs yet in
the repo  And I prefer installing fpc "the debian way" because it
saves me headaches...

My two lazarus installs are done manually as I find no problems there
(I actually like that way better than installing it from the repo).
They both work fine with 2.4.4, but I thought I might install fpc
2.6.0 just for lazarus 0.9.31 - if it works, great, if not, it already
works fine this way

I'd prefer if the stable version could work with 2.6.0, but it seems
it doesn't, so I'll leave it that way. I might add a third install for
the fixes branch

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BigChimp · 2012-02-12 14:15

Ludob & I just finished a new version of fpcup. It should allow side
by side installs of SVN fpc+Lazarus, even though systemwide
fpc/Lazarus is present...

Very useful to install/update an SVN Lazarus/FPC version for a user

Maybe this will help you... If it doesn't work, just remove the
created directories and you're done

Comments/reactions welcome in my FPCup thread...

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TurboRascal · 2012-02-12 20:05

Great, you've been very busy with this

It seeems it's time for me to use it

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Martin_fr · 2012-02-12 22:01

At first:
Lazarus release and trunk both work with fpc 2.4.4. Not sure about 2.6
but they might...

As for the installation:
you can install fpc in any directory. IIRC 2 possible issues:
- fpc loads ppcXXX anb might get the global one. If you do not cross
compile, just configure lazarus with the ppcXXX instead of fpc

- fpc.cfg
there is a global one in /etc/
Make sure your ppcXXX finds another one first, and stops after that

ppcXXX -va uint1.pas | grep fpc.cfg