Re: GNAT & Windows NT

[dobrien@seas.gwu.edu (David O'Brien)]

Robert Dewar (dewar@cs.nyu.edu) wrote:
: "They rename the distribution to correctly identify the platform"

: As you know, there are a zillion different PC platforms. All are user
: level compatible (assuming we are talking 386 or above). Unless you
: do something VERY weird (we have not), code running on the Pentium will
: run on the 386 and 486 and vice versa (actually there are more differences
: between the 386 and 486 at this level than between the 486 and Pentium).

The name of the dist file is "...-i586-ibm-winnt-...".  May I suggest
changing the name to "intel-i386" and removing the "ibm"?  IBM has
nothing to do with the OS nor the machine (anymore).  Granted you state
this is because of the optimizations, but [most] everyone knows that
something that claims to run the i386 will run on the i486 and Pentium.
Anyway, Intel doesn't use or like [I believe] "i586" for the Pentium CPU.
Another reason to go with "i386" for this file is that is the convention
Microsoft uses with NT distributions.  [Can't believe that I'm
*actually* advocating Microsoft!].

Anyway just a opinion from a Microsoft NT user and administrator [yuck!].

-- david o'brien	(dobrien@seas.gwu.edu)