Re: Anyone Have a Working Example of CGI Using the GNAT GPL Library

[brbarkstrom@gmail.com]

On Sunday, May 10, 2015 at 8:55:36 PM UTC-4, Jeffrey R. Carter wrote:
> > 
> > Avoid having to learn a new interface that's different from GPS.
> > I have enough technical difficulties with my code that I want to
> > avoid distractions of that type.  In the later stages, these will
> > include concurrent processing of user selections.  Right now I 
> > need Web access.
> > 
> > I've also used the previous instantiation of CGI for Ada, which
> > I think David Button provided.  That would be fine and is actually
> > neater than the new GNAT library - particularly since I can reuse
> > code from previous iterations at this problem.  [Sedgwick's book
> > on Algorithms, Ed. 4, comments that changes to systems should avoid
> > introducing changes to existing contracts with the users.  The new
> > GNAT libraries certainly violate that part of the contract.]
> > 
> > I'm also aware of AWS - and would be tempted to use that if I were
> > developing on my Ubuntu Linux machine.  I'd like to get over the
> > basic working of my algorithms before I make that transition.  Again,
> > it's the time sink of learning new interfaces when the real problems
> > lie in the algorithms themselves.
> 
> Instead you choose the sink of getting GNAT's CGI working for you.
> 
> The advantage of CGI is that you only write the new functionality and attach it
> to an existing web server.
> 
> The problem with CGI is that it involves spawning a new process, which is a
> known source of security vulnerabilities.
> 
> With AWS or Gnoga you write a custom web server in Ada, so it doesn't have the
> security vulnerabilities of general-purpose ones that you can plug things into.
> Rather than spawning a new process, you can create a new task. But it does
> involve a bit more work.
> 
> -- 
> Jeff Carter
> "What I wouldn't give for a large sock with horse manure in it."
> Annie Hall
> 42

You mistake my intent with CGI.  In terms of my process, it's a temporary
work around to explore the assembly of the production version and get some
idea about whether the web interface is presenting the material I want.
The long term intent is to move the Web interface to an Ada Web Server
on a Linux Beowulf cluster.  As a precursor to the CGI, I may even create
a procedure that uses just standard input and output, just to clarify the
operation of the algorithms and some fairly complex data structures.  The
point is that at this stage, I'm conducting research on what I'm trying
to accomplish - and research is not a sensible stage for writing formal
requirements and specifications.  Also, I'm a lone wolf - meaning I don't
have a system administrator.

Bruce B.