From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.5-pre1 (2020-06-20) on ip-172-31-74-118.ec2.internal X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=-0.0 required=3.0 tests=BAYES_20 autolearn=ham autolearn_force=no version=3.4.5-pre1 Date: 3 Dec 92 19:24:53 GMT From: uunet.ca!eyepoint!alvin@uunet.uu.net (Alvin Starr) Subject: Re: Open Systems closed to ADA? Message-ID: <1992Dec3.192453.6692@eyepoint.com> List-Id: Back to the original point. Are "OPEN SYSTEMS" closed to ADA. From my perspective it would seem that ADA is closed to Open Systems. ADA compilers tend to be part of an integrated development environment(some more than others) that will help you take source files and generate a binary for a given target system. If you are not on that exact target then you are beat. Example. We have a OS that has support for a number of the real-time/multi-tasking features that make ADA a good real-time language. We can execute IBCS2(386V.2) code but to use the features of our OS you would have to use a different set of system calls. the problems that we found are: - everybody system call libraries are custom/proprietary and will not be released to anybody or for an amount of money that I cannot obtain. - The ADA compilers all contain custom linkers and assemblers so each one is different and any work that is done will have to be redone for each new compiler. - The ADA compiler vendors were not interested in supporting another OS(unless of course we moved a dumpster full of cash up to the front door). They also were not interested in letting us do the original porting work. We explored the possibility of providing a POSIX compatible OS that would be compiled in ADA and could have new device drivers written and debugged in ADA. Much to our surprise we found that there was very little interest. I can go out and get half a dozen C/C++ compilers for the SUN and each of them will generate assembler and object code that I can use with the others. Can any 2 ADA compiler vendors claim the same. IMHO this is the crux of the problem . As a software developer I do not want a swiss army knife, I want a tool box that I can add new tools to and replace the worn out old tools. The answer is not a bigger knife with more tools half of which are no use to me but I still have to pay for. -- Alvin Starr || voice: (416)513-6717 Eyepoint Inc. || fax: (416)513-6718 alvin@eyepoint.com || -- Alvin Starr || voice: (416)513-6717 Eyepoint Inc. || fax: (416)513-6718 alvin@eyepoint.com ||