Low cost Ada from GEMTECH

Low cost Ada from GEMTECH

[Neil Webre]

I recently got a flyer from GEMTECH on theie Desktop Ada for $149.95.
It runs on MS-DOS systems. A demo disk is available. Has anyone out
there in net land had any experience with this product? If so, what is
your impression of it? This is the kind of pricing we need if Ada is to
make headway in computer science education.

PS In case you want the demo, GENTECH is at 1-800-232-3989

Neil Webre
Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo                nwebre@nike.calpoly.edu

Re: Low cost Ada from GEMTECH

[Michael Feldman]

In article <28553eee.4d17@polyslo.CalPoly.EDU> nwebre@polyslo.CalPoly.EDU (Neil Webre) writes:
>
>I recently got a flyer from GEMTECH on theie Desktop Ada for $149.95.
>It runs on MS-DOS systems. A demo disk is available. Has anyone out
>there in net land had any experience with this product? If so, what is
>your impression of it? This is the kind of pricing we need if Ada is to
>make headway in computer science education.
>
Don't bother with the demo disk. It shows off the libraries in a self-running
demo, and shows _nothing_ about the compiler or development shell itself.
It's pretty but uninformative.

They started shipping very recently, after a number of weeks of keeping folks
waiting.

I got a copy of this system from them last week. It is essentially a Janus/Ada
compiler/linker with a newly-built development environment and some new
libraries, including one to manipulate files from PC-Paint. They have a
cute test program that shoots down a missile with a laser beam. Cute
animation using PC-Paint files.

My understanding is that GemTech has licensed the compiler and linker from
AETech (of IntegrAda fame) and developed their own shell and libraries.
Since IntegrAda is - itself - a Janus system in a different wrapper,
what you're getting is Janus.

GemTech's documentation is pretty sketchy as to the compiler capabilities:
most of the book you get describes the libraries and the editor, which is
a decent Turbo-ish thing. The documentation (and their sales flyers)
say that the compiler is validated; I believe the validation was under
ACVC 1.10, all of whose validation certificates expired on 12/1/90. So
the validation isn't quite current. I believe they are going for a 1.11
validation. Their docs do _not_ use the 5-sided "validated Ada" mark,
so what they are saying is legal, even though their validation is a
version old. Since both RR and AETech hold 1.11 validations, perhaps 
GemTech's will come soon. Who knows?

There are two things I don't like about all the Janus systems:

- tasking is supported but not priorities. Meridian has a better tasking
  system, including time-slicing;

- the compiler throws all its output files into your source directory,
  which clutters this directory up. Meridian (and most other compilers
  I've worked with, except Irvine), stash the symbol files, object segments,
  etc., in a subdirectory out of view. A minor inconvenience I wish they'd
  fix.

I have _not_ tested any of the Janus-family 1.11-valid systems.

I've tested RR and AETech student versions of Janus systems enough over the 
years to be able to call them "real" compilers, at least for student/hobby
purposes, and serious projects have been done with them, though not by me.
Offhand, I'd say the system is worth its asking price. They do need to
fix their documentation, though.

Students/teachers: keep in mind that Meridian OpenAda is priced at $149.00
as well; I have heard reasonably reliable rumors that a price decrease may
be coming, perhaps to below $100.00. (These are, I think, academic prices
only. I believe the OpenAda/DOS commercial price is $299.).

I like these horse races in the Ada business: it keeps all the vendors on
their toes.

Mike Feldman