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=-1.9 required=3.0 tests=BAYES_00 autolearn=ham autolearn_force=no version=3.4.5-pre1 Date: 2 Jun 93 01:12:03 GMT From: seas.gwu.edu!mfeldman@uunet.uu.net (Michael Feldman) Subject: Re: How to Make Ada more widely used? Message-ID: <1993Jun2.011203.10326@seas.gwu.edu> List-Id: In article emery@goldfinger.mitre.org (David Emery) writes: > >"Sequential" Ada (Ada without tasks) is a feasable subset, but there's >not that much cost in compiling tasks. There is a fair amount of cost >in the runtime system. Removing tasking from the language would >seriously cripple the language for use in embedded applications... > Even Ada/Ed, now available FREE from NYU and other sources (WITH sources!) handles tasking and generics quite competently. The code it compiles is for a virtual machine. A compiler-savvy person putting in the effort could produce a decent back end that would translate the virtual code to executable. The runtime system is there, with sources and all. If you wished, you could do this for a DOS machine. You'd have to distribute the result under GNU rules, which is to say you'd have to supply your source code. But think of the service you'd do. In my opinion, a subset Ada83 compiler is a dead issue, a solution in search of a problem. There's nothing wrong with the Meridian compilers that a small investment couldn't fix; their basic technology is, IMHO, quite sound, and they do the full language. Same with Janus and IntegrAda. Meridian makes a small profit selling their compilers to students, at onesies retail prices of $99-199, depending on features. I don't think Meridian has tested the elasticity in dropping their commercial prices to, or slightly above, student levels, which would put them in direct competition with Borland products, and certainly with the high-end "professional" C-family compilers. I maintain that (to paraphrase Bill Clinton and co.) it's the attitude, stupid. It's an attitude change that would make Ada more widely used. It is STILL the case that the non-Ada world is MUCH more ignorant of Ada than hostile to it. And Ada's friends do little to rectify the situation, after all these years. With friends like this, who needs enemies? Mike Feldman ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Michael B. Feldman co-chair, SIGAda Education Committee Professor, Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science School of Engineering and Applied Science The George Washington University Washington, DC 20052 USA (202) 994-5253 (voice) (202) 994-5296 (fax) mfeldman@seas.gwu.edu (Internet) "The most important thing is to be sincere, and once you've learned how to fake that, you've got it made." -- old show-business adage ------------------------------------------------------------------------