Re: Gnat v3.05 bug or compilation problem

[kilgallen@eisner.decus.org (Larry Kilgallen)]

In article <58h301$gad@alfali.enst-bretagne.fr>, makoudi@titan.enst-bretagne.fr (MAKOUDI Jaouad (Stag. Kermarrec)) writes:
> 
> While compiling a DSA program, I got this message : 
> 
> building dsa/receiver/rns.adb from /dsa/lib/garlic/rns.adb
> 
> +===========================GNAT BUG DETECTED==============================+
> | Error detected at "rns.adb", line 36:4                                   |
> | Please submit bug report by email to report@gnat.com                     |
> | Use a subject line meaningful to you and us to track the bug             |
> | Include full sources in ASCII in a format compatible with gnatchop       |
> | First line of sources must be marked by an Ada -- comment line           |
> | Last line of sources must be last line of email message (no signature!)  |
> | See gnatinfo.txt file for more info on procedure for submitting bugs     |
> | 3.05 (960607) (m68k-rtems) Gigi abort, Code=999                          |
> +==========================================================================+
> /projets/l/hostgnat/adainclude/i-cporte.ads:120:04: warning: alignment exceeds 2 (maximum allowed for target)
> ............
> I don't really understand the meaning of that !!!

What's not to understand ???  There is a compiler bug, and you are
asked to report it via electronic mail.

Having no experience with GNAT, the only possible confusion I
see for someone with electronic mail experience is:

> | Include full sources in ASCII in a format compatible with gnatchop       |

But as I read it, the definition of that term "gnatchop" might be the
next two lines:

> | First line of sources must be marked by an Ada -- comment line           |
> | Last line of sources must be last line of email message (no signature!)  |

Since you have the GNAT software, however, you probably have the
instructions file:

> | See gnatinfo.txt file for more info on procedure for submitting bugs     |

which might elaborate on "gnatchop".

If all of that turns out to not be exactly what they wanted, so what ?
You send the report in with your best effort at following the requested
format, and if you were slightly wrong the maintainers may amend the
message which is printed for such compiler errors giving more explicit
guidance to others in the future.

Every compiler has defects, and the ability to detect the situation
where such a defect is encountered is of tremendous benefit to the
producer and the consumer alike.  For various products (not just
compilers) the major variation I have seen on the above theme is
how much internal obscure information is output for you to relay
to the vendor, and that is the vendor's choice.

Larry Kilgallen