Free Pascal fork adds dynamic packages for Lazarus extensions

A downloadable implementation of dynamic packages for Free Pascal and Lazarus lets developers install components and extensions without rebuilding the entire development environment, its developer announced on getlazarus.org. The changes reside in the developer's forked branch. The packages use shared libraries with compiler-generated metadata. Applications can use them to expose native Pascal classes and types through plugins, and replace packages while running. Lazarus can also update installed components after compilation within a second or two, the developer says. Unit names must remain unique across packages, so conflicting packages require renaming a unit or choosing which package to install. Removing the metadata by stripping a package prevents it from functioning.