Ada comment

Ada comment

[cis.ohio-state.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!sdd.hp.com!spool.mu.edu!umn.]

two recently available Ada PC user interface libraries/bindings -
AdaSAGE and Meridian Ada for MS-Windows.  As this newsgroup is
the best discussion area for Ada topics, I thought I would post
some mostly positive comments on the two products.

     AdaSAGE - This free set of utility packages from the Navy is
impressive in its scope.  It has routines for database
management, graphics, etc. along with excellent documentation and
on-line indexing.  For example,  if you needed to create a full
screen text editor in your Ada application,  a supplied TSR
indexing utility can search for the "editor" keyword and then 
place a copy of the procedure calling syntax in your
code.  It requires the Alsys PC Ada compiler, but is said to
support the Meridian PC Ada compiler.  For the price of 13
formatted 3-1/2" high density disks and a SASE mailer, it can't
be beat.  Of course it takes up quite a bit of disk space, so
that I was only able to load up and test the basic AdaSAGE
library of 13MBytes.  I would be interested if anyone has
comments on the graphics and mouse libraries.

AdaSAGE is available from:

     NCTAMS-LANT
     Naval Air Station
     Bldg. V53, Room 331 (AdaSAGE)
     Code N912.2
     Norfolk, VA 23511

     Meridian Ada for Windows - This commercial compiler works
under MS-Windows to generate Windows executables.  It has a
"thin" application program interface to the Windows functions in
that it maps closely to the C function specifications.  I was
pleasantly surprised at how well the compiler performs (if there
were problems, the sparse documentation supplied would not help
too much).  The one limitation I noticed was that all the Windows
call-back functions must be specified in the same top-level Ada
package - which is at odds with the concept of modularity.  To
run Windows Ada, what is also required besides the supplied
compiler is the LIBW.LIB and MNOCRT.LIB from the Windows SDK.  A
resource compiler is also recommended for generating detailed 
dialog boxes.   My question: Is there a future possibility that
someone will create a set of Windows library routines more in
line with Ada's strong type checking and other powerful features? 
To name a few examples : (1) using the Ada string type instead of
pointers to character buffers, (2) invoking default parameters to 
Windows calls, and (3) overloading the names of Windows routines
that are distinguished by only the parameters they pass (integers,
text, etc.).  I know it will reduce the efficiency of the code
(not a big deal, since Windows apps are already slow) but this
would make the final product more robust and maintainable (and
perhaps easier to port to other windowing systems). 

Paul  Pukite
pukite@vz.acs.umn.edu