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From: "Samuel T. Harris" <sam_harris@hso.link.com>
Subject: Re: Does this model work ?
Date: 1999/05/18
Message-ID: <37419180.3A5AB46F@hso.link.com>#1/1
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Organization: Raytheon Training Inc.
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Date: 1999-05-18T00:00:00+00:00
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Jean-Marten Marchi wrote:
> 
> On Mon, 17 May 1999 04:03:52 GMT, Robert Dewar
> <robert_dewar@my-dejanews.com> wrote:
> 
> >> I mean useful for the end user. You have one point of
> >> distribution and don't care about the hardware or the OS.
> >> However, your application is
> >> still optimized for your platform.
> >
> >Sorry I have no idea what you are getting at here
> 
> I've been thinking to your reply, so i will try harder to explain
> myself.
> 
> 3 years ago, Intermetrics released a product called Appletmagic if i
> remember well.
> 
> With my favorite browser (OS/2 Web Explorer) i clicked on a page where
> the applet "Conways game of life" was executed. Easy and fun.
> 
> Let's say that the applet was written in Ada95,  compiled to Java
> bytecode and executed inside the OS/2 JVM. From a technical point of
> view it is quite impressive.
> 
> But don't you think there's something wrong?
> 
> The applet source code was available, the GNAT compiler for OS/2 was
> available, linker etc etc...
> 
> Cordially,
> 
> 

I too have been using the same AppletMagic compiler as well as
GNAT for years on  my PC. I find nothing wrong with this
situation. Just because I have a "native" compiler available
for a particular platform, or even all platforms, does not
mean I want to distribute "native" compiled code to all customers.

For some customers, I may be aware of their architecture and
can distribute more efficient native coded products. For other
customers, or demo stuff, I may not know what they are running.
For these situation I can use the JVM coded product.

An Ada to JVM compiler gives me a single product which can
be universally distributed (well, almost universally :) and
can even be run from a remote web site. The need for more
efficient implementations for specific customers does not
negate the need for universal distribution.

Given the ubiquitous availability of GNAT and the universal
distribution potential of AppletMagic, I get everything I
need while using a single source language, albeit different
user interface models. I find this a highly desirable
situation.

If I was a COBOL fan, I'd be looking for a COBOL to JVM
compiler for the same reasons.

-- 
Samuel T. Harris, Principal Engineer
Raytheon, Scientific and Technical Systems
"If you can make it, We can fake it!"