Re: Newbie ... Starting Point?

[Jacob Sparre Andersen <sparre@nbi.dk>]

Navid:

>     I was referred to use ADA (GtkAda...whatever the difference is)

Ada (note capitalisation) is a programming language.
GtkAda is a GUI library.

> Now I have a very simple question, what gui compiler can I use to start practicing
> coding little programs like Hello World and the like.

Object Ada comes with a nice GUI (but only for Solaris and
Windows as far as I can remember).

If I am not mistaken, then GNU Ada comes with a GUI in the
Windows edition, but I haven't tried it.

I have not checked out if KDevelop supports Ada (using GNU
Ada as the compiler), but it might.

GLADE is a (stand-alone) GUI builder for GtkAda. It is quite
a nice tool.

Although it does not live up to your requirements, I would
suggest that you ask your friend who suggested that you try
GtkAda to help you install the following set of tools:

 * GNU Ada (compiler)
 * GtkAda (GUI library)
 * GLADE (GUI builder for GtkAda)
 * Emacs (editor - and many other things)
 * Ada mode for Emacs (integrates GNU Ada in Emacs)

> PS. C++ source code programs are .cpp, are Ada source code programs .adb ??

They can be. The conventions I have observed are: ".ada",
".a" and ".ads" and ".adb". If you use the GNU Ada compiler,
then specifications have the extension "ads" and
implementations have the extension "adb". GNU Ada comes with
a tool, gnatchop, which can help you follow the GNU Ada file
naming convention.

Jacob
-- 
"I just might be wrong."