Re: Gnat 3.13p: Command_Name RM A.15

[Marin David Condic <mcondic.auntie.spam@acm.org>]

O.K. I'll bite. You have a finite set of host/target platforms that you
support. Why couldn't there be an enumeration of them & have System_Name
= Linux_Pentium or System_Name = Windows_NT_Pentium?

A string makes the configuration management of the source a little
simpler in that if you add support for a new system, you don't have to
update the package System for each divergent path - just for the new
one. Granted, that is simpler, but in the case of GNAT, you have what? a
dozen paths or so? That's not that big a deal, is it? Life would be
nicer with a string, but can't an enumeration be made to work here?

I can see that it is an issue for those who have picked up the source
for GNAT and have started hacking away on their own. I'd guess the
answer there is "Tough Noogies!" You mess with the source, its up to you
to deal with it.

So outside of the standard, wouldn't it be possible for the compiler
writers to agree on a set of platforms they support and sort of maintain
a joint list of those systems? (There's only a few major players and
certainly enough forums in which to discuss it) If someone comes up with
a new implementation, they distribute the enumeration around, say once
every 6 months? I've had similar configuration management problems
wherein whenever someone released their system, I'd have to check out
and modify a dozen or so files in my system. (Table updates, etc.) It
was a nuisance, but never took more than a half a day to get done. If
the update is not too frequent, it didn't seem to be an issue.

MDC

Robert Dewar wrote:

> As I said in the previous note, the idea that every copy of
> System contains All possible values on all targets is fatally
> flawed. It is really too bad that the definition was not
>
>   System_Name : constant String := "impl dependent string";
>
> Then we would just put the target identification string
> there, this would be perfectly easy to do, but unfortunately
> is not permitted!

--
======================================================================
Marin David Condic - Quadrus Corporation - http://www.quadruscorp.com/
Send Replies To: m c o n d i c @ q u a d r u s c o r p . c o m
Visit my web site at:  http://www.mcondic.com/

    "I'd trade it all for just a little more"
        --  Charles Montgomery Burns, [4F10]
======================================================================