Re: Ada 83 pretty printers

[Tucker Taft <stt@averstar.com>]

Tony Vincent wrote:

> The problem with installing GNAT (or any other) executables is simply
> that the supplier is not on the list of known software sources
> maintained by the security guys (they don't get out much).
> It's a knee-jerk reaction to anything unknown.
> 
> If GNAT could be built from source then it would be OK - the source
> could be checked and system calls investigated (not that they ever are).
> How would Gnat be built from source?  I guess you would need to compile
> GNAT source written in Ada'83 through DEC-Ada to produce the Gnat '95
> executables.

For what it is worth, we have an Ada95 compiler that generates
optimized ANSI C as its intermediate.  You could perhaps run
whatever program you have written in Ada (83 or 95) through this front end,
and then run the generated C code by the security guys and gals.

Let me know if you want to investigate this.  Note that running all of
GNAT sources through this compiler is probably not practical, 
as GNAT source presumably uses some GNAT-specific pragmas, attributes, etc.

We are also amenable to making this compiler itself available on Vax/VMS.
Please let us know if you are interested.

> --
> Tony V

-- 
-Tucker Taft   stt@averstar.com   http://www.averstar.com/~stt/
Technical Director, Distributed IT Solutions  (www.averstar.com/tools)
AverStar (formerly Intermetrics, Inc.)   Burlington, MA  USA