What is pascal?
Pascal is a high‑level programming language created in the late 1960s by Swiss professor Niklaus Wirth. It was designed to teach good programming practices and structured coding, using clear, English‑like syntax.
Let's break it down
- Syntax: Uses words like
begin,end,if,then,elsethat read almost like sentences. - Data types: Supports integers, real numbers, characters, strings, and user‑defined types.
- Control structures: Includes loops (
for,while,repeat) and conditional statements (if...then...else). - Procedures & functions: Lets you group code into reusable blocks, encouraging modular design.
- Strong typing: Variables must be declared with a type before use, reducing errors.
Why does it matter?
Pascal introduced concepts such as structured programming and strong typing that are now standard in many modern languages (like C, Java, and C#). Learning Pascal gives beginners a solid foundation in logical thinking and clean code organization.
Where is it used?
- Education: Still taught in some schools and universities to illustrate programming fundamentals.
- Legacy systems: Certain older business applications and embedded systems still run Pascal code.
- Compilers: The Free Pascal and Delphi environments are used to develop desktop, mobile, and cross‑platform applications.
Good things about it
- Easy to read and understand, making it ideal for beginners.
- Encourages disciplined coding with clear structure and strong typing.
- Comes with powerful IDEs (e.g., Delphi, Lazarus) that simplify development.
- Portable: code can be compiled for many operating systems.
Not-so-good things
- Less popular today, so fewer job opportunities and community resources.
- Limited library ecosystem compared to languages like Python or JavaScript.
- Not as suited for modern web or mobile development out of the box.
- Some syntax feels outdated, requiring extra learning for newer languages.