Is there any ADA for Mac ?

Is there any ADA for Mac ?

[MZUNDO]

Hi,

I'm currently working in ADA on a Vax VMS system, and I'd like to be
able to do some work at home on a Powerbook 520c Mac.
(at least some partial compiling of some of the code to check
for compiling time error).

Any suggestion?

Thanks in advance.

Mike Zundo
==============================================================================
European Space Operations Centre
Darmstadt Germany
e-mail :MZUNDO%ESOC.BITNET@vm.gmd.de
==============================================================================

Re: Is there any ADA for Mac ?

[Michael Hirasuna]

In article <95030.195803MZUNDO@ESOC.BITNET>, <MZUNDO@ESOC.BITNET> wrote:

> I'm currently working in ADA on a Vax VMS system, and I'd like to be
> able to do some work at home on a Powerbook 520c Mac.

The only Machintosh Ada compiler I am aware of is Meridian's (which
requires MPW).

I have used MPW-Meridian at home for work I had with VAX Ada. There were
some problems:

1) The Mac's 31 character file name limit is not enough, especially for
subunits which tend to have long file names in VAX Ada.

2) I could not find a way to change the Meridian Ada System package which
did not match the VAX Ada System package. Thus was particularly bad for
rep specs.

3) The Meridian Ada compiler was not very good. It gave poor error
messages and sometime passed incorrect Ada, which VAX Ada later caught.

4) I could not find a way to make the Meridian Ada compiler just do a
syntax check, I had to request full compiles which took longer. (If anyone
knows how to do this, please let me know)

There was also an Ada language sensitive editor, which was packaged with
Meridian. It was okay for small programs, but did not work for the program
which I would consider to be of practical size.

I have given up on Meridian Ada. For syntax checking at home, I now use
GNAT on an OS2 system. But I still use my Mac for almost everything else.

Re: Is there any ADA for Mac ?

[Garlington KE]

MZUNDO@ESOC.BITNET wrote:
: Hi,

: I'm currently working in ADA on a Vax VMS system, and I'd like to be
: able to do some work at home on a Powerbook 520c Mac.
: (at least some partial compiling of some of the code to check
: for compiling time error).

I've developed code on my Powerbook using Meridian and then ported it to the
VAX. Works fine for me (although the reverse isn't always true, because of
limitations in the link step...).

: Any suggestion?

: Thanks in advance.

: Mike Zundo
: ==============================================================================
: European Space Operations Centre
: Darmstadt Germany
: e-mail :MZUNDO%ESOC.BITNET@vm.gmd.de
: ==============================================================================

--
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Ken Garlington                  GarlingtonKE@lfwc.lockheed.com
F-22 Computer Resources         Lockheed Fort Worth Co.

If LFWC or the F-22 program has any opinions, they aren't telling me.

Re: Is there any ADA for Mac ?

[Arthur Evans Jr]

In article <95030.195803MZUNDO@ESOC.BITNET>, <MZUNDO@ESOC.BITNET> wrote:

> I'm currently working in ADA on a Vax VMS system, and I'd like to be
> able to do some work at home on a Powerbook 520c Mac.

As others have already replied, Meridian Ada is the only game in town.
I've used it a lot and I'm productive with it, but I would never claim
that it's wonderful.

You should be aware that Meridian was acquired by (or merged with)
Verdix, which later became part of Rational.  Rational has stated
publicly that, although they will continue to maintain Meridian Ada,
they will not upgrade it.  That means no port to PowerMAC and no upgrade
to Ada 95.  And that means the product is effectively dead, although it
will still keep breathing for a little while.

In my opinion, the only reasonable hope we Mac lovers have is a port of
GNAT.  Will that ever happen?  Who knows?

If there were a GCC port, I expect that ACT would promptly do the GNAT
port.  Is there a GCC port?  Rumors (from "usually reliable sources")
have it that a company called Cygnus in California has done the port.
Repeated attempts on my part to elicit information from Cygnus have been
met by silence.  If anyone reading this knows more, please speak up.

Another possibility is that MetroWerks will add Ada to their product
line.  That would be wonderful!

Art Evans

Arthur Evans Jr, PhD        Phone: 412-963-0839
Ada Consulting              FAX:   412-963-0927
461 Fairview Road
Pittsburgh PA  15238-1933
evans@evans.pgh.pa.us

Re: Is there any ADA for Mac ?

[Larry Kilgallen, LJK Software]

In article <evans-310195200052@evans.pgh.pa.us>, evans@evans.pgh.pa.us (Arthur Evans Jr) writes:

> Another possibility is that MetroWerks will add Ada to their product
> line.  That would be wonderful!

Maybe wonderful, maybe not so wonderful.

MetroWerks added Pascal, but so far it does not have Object Oriented
features, like Think Pascal (68K only) and Language Systems Pascal
(both 68K and PowerPC, but within MPW).

MetroWerks strongly indicated that the most they will support is the
traditional Macintosh Object Pascal features, and they will never
support the recent ANSI Object Pascal standard/draft/whatever.

Perhaps they would be willing to support a subset of Ada :-).