The Lazarus team is glad to announce the third release candidate of Lazarus 4.0.

This release was built with FPC 3.2.2.

Here is the list of changes for Lazarus and Free Pascal: http://wiki.lazarus.freepascal.org/Lazarus_4.0_release_notes http://wiki.lazarus.freepascal.org/User_Changes_3.2.2

Here is the list of fixes for Lazarus 4.x:
https://gitlab.com/freepascal.org/lazarus/lazarus/-/commits/fixes_4/

The release is available for download on SourceForge: http://sourceforge.net/projects/lazarus/files/

Choose your CPU, OS, distro and then the "Lazarus 4.0RC3" directory.

Checksums for the SourceForge files:
https://www.lazarus-ide.org/index.php?page=checksums#4_0RC3

Minimum requirements:

Windows:
2k, 32 or 64bit, Qt, Qt5, Qt6 (64bit only)

FreeBSD/Linux:
gtk 2.24 for gtk2, qt4.5 for qt, qt5.6 for qt5, Qt6.2 for qt6, 32 or 64bit.

Mac OS X:
Cocoa (64bit) 10.12, Carbon (32bit) 10.5 to 10.14, Qt and Qt5 (32 or 64bit), Qt6 (64bit only).

The gitlab page:
https://gitlab.com/freepascal.org/lazarus/lazarus/-/tree/lazarus_4_0RC3

For people who are blocked by SF, the Lazarus releases from SourceForge are mirrored at:
https://download.lazarus-ide.org/
ftp://ftp.freepascal.org/pub/lazarus/releases/

== Why should everybody (including you) test the release candidate? ==

In the past weeks the Lazarus team has stabilized the 4.0 fixes branch. The resulting 4.0RC3 is now stable enough to be used by any one for test purposes.

While we have tested those ourselves, there may still be problems that only occur with very specific configurations or one project in a million.

Yes, it may be that you are the only person with a project, that will not work in the new IDE. So if you do not test, we can not fix it.

Please do not wait for the final release, in order to test. It may be too late. Once the release is out we will have to be more selective about which fixes can be merged for further 4.x releases. So it may be, that we can not merge the fix you require. And then you will miss out on all the new features.

== How to test ==

Download and install the 4.0 RC3.
- On Windows you can install as a 2ndary install, that will not affect your current install:

http://wiki.lazarus.freepascal.org/Multiple_Lazarus#Installation_of_multiple_Lazarus
- On other platforms, if you install to a new location you need to use --primary-config-path

In either case you should make backups. (including your primary config)

Open your project in your current Lazarus, and use "Publish Project" from the project menu. This creates a clean copy of your project.

You can then open that copy in the 4.0RC3. Please test:
- If you can edit forms in the designer
- rename components / change properties in Object inspector / Add new events
- Add components to form / Move components on form
- Frames, if you use them
- If you can navigate the source code (e.g. jump to implementation)
- Auto completion in source code
- Compile, debug and run
- Anything else you use in your daily work

Mattias

Mattias Gaertner wrote

The Lazarus team is glad to announce the third release candidate of Lazarus 4.0.

What is Lazarus? I have been unable to find anything on its web sites that say what it is or what it does.
A complete blank. Lots of excited talk about it but no first phrase anywhere "Lazarus is a..."

Ah, finally, after a few minutes of wading, in the second screenful of the wiki Home page, in the box on the right it gets called "Lazarus IDE" so I'm guessing it's a graphical code development environment for FreePascal. Am I close?

Seriously, though, it would be worth saying as the first line in Release notes
and at the top of any web page likely to be a first hit for people new to it and curious.

Keep up the good work

   M

The main website is https://www.lazarus-ide.org and has "What is Lazarus?" as the first paragraph.

I will add the link to the next release note.

I guess you mean the wiki...

Mattias