Re: Proving Correctness (was Java Portability)

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

Nicolas:

> Everybody knows what popular languages compilers provide

I am not sure I do, but I will try to make a list and guess
which things you consider important. I work on Digital Unix
and Linux systems.

 * Ada     - the standard libraries and some vendor
dependent stuff (GNAT.*)

 * Basic          - don't know
 * C              - the standard libraries
 * C++            - the standard libraries
 * COBOL          - don't know
 * Fortran        - the standard libraries
 * Java           - don't know
 * Borland Pascal - integrated GUI builder and DB builder,
no _standard_ libraries

I addition to this you can install GUI builders and various
graphical and text based development environments and
debuggers as well as additional libraries for practically
any purpose you can think of.

Borland Pascal (aka Delphi) seems to be the most popular
programming language in Denmark (before C) even though it
until recently only was available for a single
processor-operating system combination, so I assume that
most programmers consider an integrated GUI builder and/or
database builder the most important factor, when choosing a
programming language. Apparently you don't even have to live
up to the standard your language is named after.

So the answer seems to be:

  "Make an _integrated_ package consisting of:

    * An Ada compiler.
    * A GUI builder (where you can go _freely_ back and
forth between graphical and source view).
    * A database builder.
    * Whatever libraries you can think of."

<slightly off-topic rant>
My short experience with Object Ada gave me the impression
that Aonix for some reason had decided to use a rather
primitive parser (even the number of spaces appeared to be
important in some places) in stead of using the one from the
compiler.
</slightly off-topic rant>

Jacob
-- 
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