Re: GNAT for VMS/AXP question

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

In article <Mats.Weber-0509961407580001@mlma27.elca-matrix.ch>, Mats.Weber@elca-matrix.ch (Mats Weber) writes:
> Is GNAT for VMS/AXP going to be freely available like the UNIX and Windows
> versions ? (with separate support from ACT)
> 
> Is a program with tasks going to be executable on multiple processors, or
> only a single one like the current DEC Ada 83 implementation ?

Supposedly DEC has by now released the updater for Alpha VMS V7.0
to enable kernel threads and thus allow DEC Ada to use multiple
processors for the various tasks of a single system.

The DEC approach was to use the underlying DECthreads mechanism
used to support Posix threads for C, and that would seem to be
the best step toward allowing free intermixing of Ada and DEC C
programs.

It would be nice if GNAT and GNU used that mechanism as well,
to allow intermixing of programs by people who may have used
different economic models for acquiring C and Ada compilers.

Given their favored position with DEC, ACT could presumably
obtain further information on doing this beyond what is
published to us mere mortals.  I am _not_ claiming ACT has
not done this, or that ACT needs to do this, just pointing out
that ACT has an advantage compared to trying to do the same
thing without DEC interest.

DEC Ada on VAX unfortunately preceded DECthreads, so it has
its own tasking mechanism not particularly suited toward
intermixing.