Newbie question on APEX and VADS

Newbie question on APEX and VADS

[Larry Kilgallen]

I have received some Ada source that refers to both APEX and VADS.

Could someone describe for me the difference/relationship between
APEX and VADS ?

Larry Kilgallen

Re: Newbie question on APEX and VADS

[David C. Hoos, Sr.]

Larry Kilgallen <kilgallen@eisner.decus.org> wrote in message
news:1999May5.171018.1@eisner...
> I have received some Ada source that refers to both APEX and VADS.
>
> Could someone describe for me the difference/relationship between
> APEX and VADS ?
>
VADS is an acronym which stands for Verdix Ada Development System.

Verdix Corporation was bought by Rational about 1994 (if memory serves
me correctly).  VADS is strictly Ada83, and as far as I know is
only being minimally supported, as Rational is trying to move
customers to Apex.
I used VADS on IRIX and Sun platforms for about seven years.

APEX is a development system originally hosted on special Rational
hardware, but now hosted on a number of platforms, including Solaris,
IRIX, and Windows NT.  Apex now includes support for at least one
other language (C++ and maybe others) besides Ada.

Apex comes with Rational compilers, and a system called the
Rational Compilation Integrator (RCI) which allows  Apex to run on
one platform, managing compilation on another, targeting code for
a third platform.  Of course, all three platforms could be one and
the same.

My last hands-on experience with Apex was on a Solaris platform
on a project which began in early 1977 when the Rational Ada95
compiler was less than complete.
We used the RCI to compile with GNAT on both the Solaris and
IRIX 6 platforms, with good success.

Some people have used Apex with VADS.

We never looked at the Rational compiler on that project,
because the schedule did not permit considering a change,
given that we had a usable compiler with a known set of
limitations with which we are able to live.

Hope this helps.

Re: Newbie question on APEX and VADS

[Larry Kilgallen]

Thanks to all who responded, and particularly to David Hoos
for the historical perspective.

Larry Kilgallen

Re: Newbie question on APEX and VADS

[Andreas Winckler]

Larry Kilgallen wrote:
> 
> I have received some Ada source that refers to both APEX and VADS.
> 
> Could someone describe for me the difference/relationship between
> APEX and VADS ?

The major difference between them is that VADS is a command line driven
compiler and Apex a integrated development enviroment. Besides that
Rational tells that VADS is in the phase "end of life" which means they
will stop to maintain it some time soon.

....and sell the MUCH more expensive Apex only. ;-)

Right now we're evaluating the possibility to switch from VADS to Apex
in our company. Apex has a VADS-view which provides full compatibility
with source code made for VADS. Our first experiences show that besides
some minor problems this works good.


Greetings,

AW
-- 
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Andreas Winckler
Dipl.ing.
Software Engineering

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