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From: James Rogers <jrogers@velveeta.apdev.cs.mci.com>
Subject: Towards a free GNU Ada
Date: 1997/07/03
Message-ID: <33BBB704.167E@velveeta.apdev.cs.mci.com>#1/1
X-Deja-AN: 254751519
Organization: Team Ada
Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada
Date: 1997-07-03T00:00:00+00:00
List-Id: <comp.lang.ada>


Early in the Ada 9X development effort it became clear that one of
the keys to the future acceptance of Ada was the availability of
a very low cost compiler.  This lead to the funding of early
Ada 9X compiler development, resulting in what is now known as
the GNAT compiler.

We can thank the US DoD for the initial funding of GNAT.  We
can also thank the entire GNAT team.  The product of that team is
a truly impressive compiler.

In late 1994 many members of the GNAT development team realized the
DoD funding was limited.  They believed in the viability of Ada and
of GNAT.  They also saw an opportunity for a business.  As a result
they formed ACT.

ACT has taken on a very large and difficult assignment: to maintain
and improve GNAT, providing high quality code free to the public,
while making a profit.  This assignment contains some inherent
contradictions.  One cannot make a profit by giving away the fruits
of one's efforts.  On the other hand, free versions of GNAT must
not cost more than the cost of the media upon which they are 
delivered.

I wish ACT great success.  I hope they achieve spectacular profits.
I also still see the need for a free Ada compiler.  This compiler
must be of high quality, passing all applicable validation criteria.
It cannot be a subset or crippled compiler suitable only for simple
demonstration of the potentials of the Ada language.

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:

* Use gnat3.09 for a long long time

* Form a consortium of GNAT users, with annual dues which will be
  paid to ACT to provide public support for GNAT

* Abandon the concept of a free Ada compiler and purchase all our
  compilers from AONIX, JANUS, Intermetrics, Rational, ACT, etc

* 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.

GNAT has helped fuel a renaissance for Ada.  We cannot simply turn
our backs on the newly emerging interest in Ada.  We must continue
to find ways to support and encourage the growth of interest in Ada.

-- 
Jim Rogers
*************************************************************
Team Ada