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- #############
- FUTURE of FPL
- #############
-
- Here follows a list with some ideas for the future of FPL. These are the
- items that feel are most important (in a very approximate order of
- importance):
-
- * macro-kind-of keyword is planned, should work pretty much as the C
- preprocessor instruction #define.
-
- * [Amiga] FPL symbolic debugger. This will be able to use together with any
- software using FPL! I think I will get someone to help me code this...
- The embryo to this is already shipped in the version 9 package!
-
- * Real-time interpretation enhancement. Store information about the
- interpretation so that next time the same code gets excuted, it will run
- faster.
-
- * Support array declaration and assigning without speciying array size (as in
- regular C). I.e, "int array[]={0, 2, 3, 4, 12};"
-
- * FPLTAG_HOOK_LOAD, replace FPL's load functions. Enable compressed/encrypted
- programs or add path searching for programs or...
-
- * 'enum' support.
-
- * Multithread support. Run multiple FPL programs simultanously, sharing global
- data. (Probably done by adding fplAddThread() and fplDelThread().) I still
- haven't got a system independent resource locking method, and will probably
- *not* find one. Locks will be done in different ways depending on the OS
- capabilties.
-
- * some kind of locale support to make error string appear in the user's
- native language. Amiga has wonderful support (V38+) for this, but how
- should I do this system independent?
-
- * Structures.
-
- * [Amiga] ARexx library emulator that can call and take advantage of ARexx
- libraries (libraries done to be called from ARexx). Will most likely be
- implemented as a funclib.
-
- * Make 'char' and 'short' variables and arrays take no more memory than
- they should. (8 resp. 16 bits each.)
-
- * Pointers will be implemented. At first only to all the numeric
- variable types that exist today, 'int', 'long', 'char' and 'short'.
- Of course any number of pointer levels. such as "char *********p;".
-
- * malloc() and a lot of other clean and pure C library functions
- will be added.
-
- * Float variables and expressions
-
- * Reading SAS/C pragma files to be able to call AmigaDOS shared
- libraries straight from FPL.
-
- * Storing all local symbol information in some kind of simulated
- stack to be able to call direct function calls to absolute addresses
- in memory to functions refering to data stored in the FPL program.
- Adding such functions will have to be done in some kind of
- OpenLibrary() way, or like an OS/2 and UNIX shared library function
- access solution (setting up a function that associates function
- identifiers with absolute memory addresses). An already working
- software with FPL interface should be able to call another compiled
- program using this function. No interpreting overhead!!!
-
- * Preprocessing of all FPL-files with my own ANSI C complient preprocessor!
-
- * Now we should be able to interpret any C program with only a small
- preparation.
-