Re: Simple graphics

[Greg Bond <bond@ee.ubc.ca>]

Bob Crispen wrote:
> 
> A student who visited my Ada webpage asked me the following, and
> I'm stumped:
> 
> >I'm a university student who just learned to program in Ada.
> >        I was wondering where i could find a package with procedures to do the
> >equivalent of the Qbasic line, circle, dot, pixel etc. commands.  In
> >short, a graphics package.  ANSI just doesnt cut it anymore :)

� On the Mac, using GNAT with MachTen Unix you have the option of using
accessing the Mac Toolbox routines - the bindings to basic Toolbox
functions are available now. You have to pay for MachTen, but the rest
is free.

� Free TCL bindings also have been developed for Ada95, but I don't
think (correct me if I'm wrong) that the bindings have been extended to
TK yet.

� A free set of bindings to the complete MS-Windows libraries exist
*but* you have to purchase a system developers kit from Microsoft to use
them.

� At least one commercial vendor (can't recall the name right now...)
sells an Ada95 environment that includes bindings to the MS-Windows
graphics libraries.

� Intermetrics has a free Ada95 (some Ada95 langauge elements are
unimplmented though) to Java bytecode compiler that includes bindings to
the Java AWT. This runs on Win95 and Mac, and perhaps other platforms.
This product is currently in Beta.

� I've heard rumours that Cygnus might be distributing a free set of
bindings to the MS-Windows libraries that won't require purchasing an
SDK from Microsoft to use them - however this is only a rumour (anyone
want to provide some concrete info here?)

In summary, free support for graphics is poor at the moment, which I
perceive as a liability for quick acceptance of Ada95 by students that
are used to "Visual" style programming. I am asked the same question
your student has asked you on many occasions.

--
* Greg Bond                         * Dept. of Electrical Eng.  
* email: bond@ee.ubc.ca             * Univ. of British Columbia      
* voice: (604) 822 0899             * 2356 Main Mall                 
* fax:   (604) 822 5949             * Vancouver, BC              
* web: http://www.ee.ubc.ca/~bond   * Canada, V6T 1Z4