From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.4 (2020-01-24) on polar.synack.me X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=0.2 required=5.0 tests=BAYES_00,INVALID_MSGID, REPLYTO_WITHOUT_TO_CC autolearn=no autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit X-Google-Thread: 103376,59dddae4a1f01e1a X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public From: JP Thornley Subject: Re: Need help with PowerPC/Ada and realtime tasking Date: 1996/05/31 Message-ID: <152267236wnr@diphi.demon.co.uk>#1/1 X-Deja-AN: 157866901 x-nntp-posting-host: diphi.demon.co.uk references: <1026696wnr@diphi.demon.co.uk> <122916091wnr@diphi.demon.co.uk> <4och4o$jdc@hacgate2.hac.com> <1996May30.103842.17355@ocsystems.com> x-mail2news-path: relay-4.mail.demon.net!post.demon.co.uk!diphi.demon.co.uk organization: None reply-to: jpt@diphi.demon.co.uk newsgroups: comp.lang.ada Date: 1996-05-31T00:00:00+00:00 List-Id: In article: <1996May30.103842.17355@ocsystems.com> rec@ocsystems.com (Ralph E. Crafts) writes: > I don't believe that Phil is accurate > in his statement that Ada 95 compilers "won't be usable" in the period > from now to 1998-2000. This thread is about safety-critical software and "usable" has to be seen in that context. Ralph, you may by now have seen my post on what it takes for us to accept a compiler - that post and your's crossed in my modem. In particular there are severe requirements on what is a suitably mature compiler for us to start to look at it. I haven't connected to see any responses to that post yet, but I'll be disappointed if no-one mentions GNAT (because I've made a bet with myself that some-one will). However I imagine that GNAT would fail on stability grounds at the moment - there are clearly lots of users and lots of different sorts of use, but unless *one version* of it gets long-term usage, it can't be considered mature. Your reference to continuing to add features suggests that PowerAda is in the same position. (Please don't take this as a criticism - it's a simple fact of life in the current state of the development of Ada 95 as a language.) I often worry that safety-critical software development makes heavy demands on the supporting tools and the market for those tools is very small (I've seen a figure of 1% of Ada being safety-critical) so that long term vendor support must be questionable. And I'll continue to worry even though at least two compiler vendors seem to be investing in this area at the moment. Phil Thornley -- ------------------------------------------------------------------------ | JP Thornley EMail jpt@diphi.demon.co.uk | ------------------------------------------------------------------------