Re: ADA COMMON ENVIRONMENT (comments)

Re: ADA COMMON ENVIRONMENT (comments)

[Tapani Rundgren]

Mark Taube {90518} wrote:
> 
[snip]
> 
> >1.  The X Window System (X11)
> >2.  Win32 (MicroSoft Win32)
> >3.  ODBC (Open Database Connectivity)
> >4.  MFC (Microsoft Foundation Classes)
> 
>   Wouldn't it be better to define a portable platform independent
> "PIGUI" Ada class specification that could "liberate" Ada somewhat.

Objective Interface Systems (OIS) is working on a Fresco implementation
in Ada which is platform independent (OO interface to X11).
(More info about Fresco -> http://www.faslab.com/fresco/HomePage)
(OIS -> http://www.ois.com)

/Tapani Rundgren

ADA COMMON ENVIRONMENT (comments)

[Mark Taube {90518}]

 
>The Ada Common Environment Working Group of the Ada Resource Association
>is accepting candidates for adoption as "Ada Common Environment
>Bindings."  One binding from each area will be designated as "ARA Common"
>and will be recognized by member companies of the Ada Common Environment
>Working Group.

    Excellent idea, we have a fair amount of "broken" code around here
due to the Ada83 X windows bindings fiasco.

>The nominated binding must be an existing implementation. It must be
>freely distributable, though not necessarily in the public domain.
>Bindings which do not rely heavily on vendor-specific language features
>are a plus.

  Hey this is Ada, Why not define the the specs as standardized public domain
and allow vendors to make whatever body implementations they want. The Ada
community needs portability between Ada implementations which doesn't exist
in the Ada83 world.
  .
  .
  .

>1.  The X Window System (X11)
>2.  Win32 (MicroSoft Win32)
>3.  ODBC (Open Database Connectivity)
>4.  MFC (Microsoft Foundation Classes)

  Wouldn't it be better to define a portable platform independent
"PIGUI" Ada class specification that could "liberate" Ada somewhat.
Even Microsoft has made MFC a somewhat portable class framework for
the C++ world. Given the considerable language differences between
Ada and C++, it seems a clean start reworking ideas already out there
would benefit the Ada community. MS Windows is not the be-all, end-all
environment for everybody.

  PIGUI References:

   http://www.zeta.org.au/~rosko/pigui.htm  
   http://www.cs.unm.edu/~wampler           "V" for C++
      see also  C/C++ Users Journal August 1996, page 21
  
 I realize "time to market" is important but sometimes HASTE makes WASTE.

-----------------------------

       Mark Taube 
       Raytheon Electronic Systems
  

ADA COMMON ENVIRONMENT (comments)

[Robert C. Leif, Ph.D.]

From Bob Leif

To: Mark Taube et al.

Date:    Mon, 21 Oct 1996 07:30:20 -0400

Subject: ADA COMMON ENVIRONMENT (comments)

I agree with " Why not define the specs as standardized public domain
and allow vendors to make whatever body implementations they want. The Ada
community needs portability between Ada implementations which doesn't exist
in the Ada83 world."

My suggestion is to build the Ada API on or employing HTML for the screens.
I believe that is what Microsoft is doing for the next version of Windows. A
short term approach is to make the new Ada environment work within the net
browsers, such as Netscape.

One long term approach is to reimplement the necessary JAVA parts of the
Intermetrics' Ada to J code compiler environment in Ada 95 to run directly
under the operating systems. This would provide compiled code for each
operating system. This last step may not be necessary If, as expected,
native code JAVA compilers are created or J code to object code systems are
implemented.

Hopefully, there would also be a means to make the HTML system CORBA
compliant. The Ada community should also take a look at the new WebObjects
Enterprise from NeXT Software Inc. http://www.next.com
--------------------------------------------------------------  .
>The Ada Common Environment Working Group of the Ada Resource Association
>is accepting candidates for adoption as "Ada Common Environment
>Bindings."  One binding from each area will be designated as "ARA Common"
>and will be recognized by member companies of the Ada Common Environment
>Working Group.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Robert C. Leif, Ph.D.
Ada_Med