From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.4 (2020-01-24) on polar.synack.me X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=-1.3 required=5.0 tests=BAYES_00,INVALID_MSGID autolearn=no autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit X-Google-Thread: 103376,69c2247bc82f3aa7,start X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public From: "Robert C. Leif, Ph.D." Subject: Re Towards a free GNU Ada Date: 1997/07/06 Message-ID: <3.0.32.19970706174103.006f4d74@mail.4dcomm.com>#1/1 X-Deja-AN: 255109443 Sender: Ada programming language X-Sender: rleif@mail.4dcomm.com Comments: cc: "Robert Dewar, Ph.D." Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada Date: 1997-07-06T00:00:00+00:00 List-Id: To: James Rogers, Prof. Robert Dewar, et al. From: Bob Leif, Ph.D. James Rogers wrote: (I added the numbering to the suggestions) ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 3 Jul 1997 08:28:20 -0600 From: James Rogers Subject: Towards a free GNU Ada SNIP Perhaps it is time to remove some conflict from the ACT charter. It seems the only way to do this is to either find a continuing source of funding for development and maintenance of GNAT, or to find some alternate group to perform maintenance of a public version of GNAT, effectively creating a separate version from the product produced by ACT. I see a list of possible responses to this problem: 1. * Use gnat3.09 for a long long time 2. * Form a consortium of GNAT users, with annual dues which will be paid to ACT to provide public support for GNAT 3. * Abandon the concept of a free Ada compiler and purchase all our compilers from AONIX, JANUS, Intermetrics, Rational, ACT, etc 4. * Organize a distributed group of Ada compiler developers to take over development of a free Ada compiler, resulting in a second branch of Gnu Ada development. Such an effort would likely be haphazard and uncoordinated, resulting in questionable quality and lack of responsibility for compiler defects. SNIP to end. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------- I favor suggestion 2. I suspect that most of the users of GNAT and Readers of Comp.Lang.Ada also favor suggestion 2. The main problem is that ACT is not set up to economically support a large number of users at a low cost. In fact, there may be no profitable simple solution to this problem. The most cost effective approach is to minimize the need for support by making the product including its error messages as customer friendly as possible. I do believe that the SigAda chapters should assist with the support of Ada products including GNAT by including a help session as part of their programs. This has recently been instituted for San Diego SigAda. This is absolutely nothing new. The very first microcomputer club I ever attended had a help session. Of course, help should be given for any Ada product where there is someone knowledgable. I have only one problem with suggestion 2. I believe that any useful additions to a compiler that are initially made for GNAT and are NOT funded by ACT should be copyrighted in a form that they can be used by other Ada vendors. This includes being incorporated into these vendors commercial products. The cost to the other Ada vendors should be the same as that bourn by ACT. In short, I believe that we small operators and independent users should financially reimburse ACT, but at a reasonable price, and in a manner to maintain competition in the Ada compiler business. Yours, Bob Leif