Re: More question about ADA for Mac

[mfeldman@seas.gwu.edu (Michael Feldman)]

In article <95038.185700MZUNDO@ESOC.BITNET>,  <MZUNDO@ESOC.BITNET> wrote:

[snip]

>Has anybody worked with it? (the GW-Ada/Ed I mean) Any other comment ?

I guess I could say I worked on it - I supervised the project.:-)

GW-Ada/Ed-Mac is indeed a compiler that runs on the Mac. There is now
indeed a PowerMac version, which means the compiler itself is compiled
for the PowerMac and so runs quite fast (compared to the 68k or
emulated version).

The core compiler and binder are NYU's Ada/Ed-C, which we ported to
the Mac. The hardest part was getting the C dialects right.:-)
The programming environment is Mac-like, roughly like what you'd
expect from a Symantec or MetroWorks shell.

That's the good news. The bad news is that the compiler produces code
for a hypothetical computer. In effect, Ada/Ed is a cross-compiler from
Ada to this "virtual machine" as its designers called it. The virtual
code is executed by a program called adaexec, that simulates the virtual
machine. Some have called this an "interpreter"; I prefer "simulator".

There is NO interface to the Mac toolbox. NYU left "hooks" in their
code to implement pragma Interface, and this works, sort of, on the
Unix version. The source code (Symantec/Metrowerks C) is available, 
so anyone wishing to try and activate the interface, to get a toolbox 
binding, is welcome to try.

So is GW-Ada/Ed what yuou are looking for? As a nice, friendly, free system
to learn Ada on a Mac, yes indeed. For serious Mac development, nope.

Next message will post yet another announcement of GW-Ada/Ed-Mac, with
ftp addresses, etc.

Mike Feldman
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Michael B. Feldman -  chair, SIGAda Education Working Group
Professor, Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
The George Washington University -  Washington, DC 20052 USA
202-994-5919 (voice) - 202-994-0227 (fax) - mfeldman@seas.gwu.edu (Internet)
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One, two, three ways an underdog: Ada fan, Mac fan, Old Liberal Democrat
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         Ada on the World-Wide Web: http://lglwww.epfl.ch/Ada/
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