Ada Windows compilers

Ada Windows compilers

[casioa]

I used Aetech's Integrada for windows last year and was not impressed; it was 
buggy and just didn't work very well. I have long used Alsys' PC Ada compilers 
and am wondering if their ActivAda is just a re-packaged Integrada, or is it 
indeed as robust as their PC compilers? 

Also, I would welcome any critical feedback on other Ada windows compilers. 
I've tried Meridian's and didn't like it either.

Re: Ada Windows compilers

[Ariel Lieberman]

In article <3lrvub$np7@booz.bah.com> casioa@bah.com writes:

> I used Aetech's Integrada for windows last year and was not impressed; it was
> buggy and just didn't work very well. I have long used Alsys' PC Ada compilers 
> and am wondering if their ActivAda is just a re-packaged Integrada, or is it
> indeed as robust as their PC compilers? 
>
> Also, I would welcome any critical feedback on other Ada windows compilers.
> I've tried Meridian's and didn't like it either.


Alsys ActivAda is the same (32bit) PC Ada compiler made to generate Windows
(WIN32s) programs.

There is also the MS-NT (i386) Ada compiler which is better.

-Ariel

Re: Ada Windows compilers

[Jim Dorman]

casioa@bah.com wrote:
>
> 
> I used Aetech's Integrada for windows last year and was not impressed; it was 
> buggy and just didn't work very well. I have long used Alsys' PC Ada compilers 
> and am wondering if their ActivAda is just a re-packaged Integrada, or is it 
> indeed as robust as their PC compilers? 
> 
> Also, I would welcome any critical feedback on other Ada windows compilers. 
> I've tried Meridian's and didn't like it either.

You should be very happy with the ActivAda for wWindows system. It contains
the things that you liked in the IntegrAda for Windows and visual Ada system
wrapped around the Alsys 32 compiler.

It can be complicated to use for someone not familiar with the Alsys way of
doing things, but once you have mastered that you will find it a very productive
tool. We use it on a daily basis to create "multi-media" applications for a
commercial client and have been thinking of marketing the multimedia libraries
separately, or through Alsys.

If you want to see ActivAda, you can download a copy of the demo disk from my FTP
site at "ftp.znet.com (local directory is 'access\pcada'). Orders and support for
ActivAda are available from us or Alsys.

Re: Ada Windows compilers

[Steve Sivulka]

casioa@bah.com wrote:
>
> 
> I used Aetech's Integrada for windows last year and was not impressed; it was 
> buggy and just didn't work very well. I have long used Alsys' PC Ada compilers 
> and am wondering if their ActivAda is just a re-packaged Integrada, or is it 
> indeed as robust as their PC compilers? 
> 
> Also, I would welcome any critical feedback on other Ada windows compilers. 
> I've tried Meridian's and didn't like it either.


Integrada, from the late Aetech, was wrapped around R & R's compiler. 

ActivAda uses Alsys' enhanced compiler technology.

It's hard to compare apples to diamonds, but I won't comment any more
because my critical feedback might be slightly tanted by the fact 
that I work for Thomson Software Products.

Re: Ada Windows compilers

[Bill Hart @ignite]

casioa@bah.com wrote:
>
> 
> I used Aetech's Integrada for windows last year and was not impressed; it was 
> buggy and just didn't work very well. I have long used Alsys' PC Ada compilers 
> and am wondering if their ActivAda is just a re-packaged Integrada, or is it 
> indeed as robust as their PC compilers? 
> 
> Also, I would welcome any critical feedback on other Ada windows compilers. 
> I've tried Meridian's and didn't like it either.

ActivAda is based on the same tools and libraries that
Aetech sold as IntegrAda, but is nonetheless very different
from its ancestor.  Naturally, the RR compiler was swapped out.
The environment software (editor, GUI builder, libraries)
was put through an extensive QA cycle and cleaned up.  Some
new features were added as well.

More recently, Thomson bought the rights to the Aetech-supplied 
source code and it is currently being maintained and enhanced
in house.

This product has been very successful and, speaking as an
8-year employee of Alsys/Thomson, I am happy to see the
company return to prominence in the PC Ada business.
Windows/NT ActivAda is now shipping too!
 
And who wants to take bets on advertising?  I know - but
I'm not telling...

Bill Hart - Manager, Strategic Partnerships
hart@thomsoft.com

Re: Ada Windows compilers

[pukite]

casioa@bah.com  <casioa@bah.com> wrote:
>I used Aetech's Integrada for windows last year and was not impressed; it was 
>buggy and just didn't work very well. I have long used Alsys' PC Ada compilers 
>and am wondering if their ActivAda is just a re-packaged Integrada, or is it 
>indeed as robust as their PC compilers? 
>
>Also, I would welcome any critical feedback on other Ada windows compilers. 
>I've tried Meridian's and didn't like it either.

Considering it only cost $249, I thought the Meridian compiler 
worked pretty well.  Version 1.0 had some restrictions, 
but version 2.0 fixed all these and removed all the bugs I 
came across in 1.0. 

Everything works fine:
  - Generic programming 
  - Dynamic memory allocation using New
  - Ada DLLs (also does DOS execs)
  - Exception handling
  - Pragmas for importing DLLs and specifying callbacks
  - Tasking, if you abide by Windows event-handling rules
  - File Text_IO, and a console package
  - Floating point, command line, machine code inserts, etc.

It also has an Ada-specific RAD tool and a package browser.

I haven't had a chance to try the other commercial compilers but I know 
that RR has an Ada 95 compiler with a set of hierarchical Windows 
bindings.  You should realize that the Alsys compiler does not include 
tasking or a way to make DLLs (from what I have heard). 
I rarely come across sales brochures for commercial Windows Ada compilers,
but this list should track pretty closely to what's available:

              Windows 3.1         Windows NT        Win 95    OS/2 for Win3.1
              ------------------------------------------------------------
Rational      Meridian OpenAda    VADS
Thomson       ActivAda            yes                         yes (?) 
RR            yes                 Ada 95 version
AETECH        ?
GNAT          (unlikely)          ftp.cs.yale.edu   yes       cs.nyu.edu

Actually, as of now, I'm not sure who sells the Meridian Windows compiler 
anymore, it could be Rational or D.C.Heath.

Since I still use the Meridian for my commercial applications, I 
would appreciate any details on why you didn't like it.
Eventually I will port to the Windows 3.1 successors with Ada 95; but I 
can't help but laugh at Microsoft's absurd Win 95 certification process. 
I will either market with a forged Win 95 logo, or, better yet, 
use the Ada 95 globe logo, "The language for a complex world".

Hope this helps.
Paul Pukite

If you need more user feedback, send SUBSCRIBE ADA_WIN to 
listproc@pat.mdc.com to get on the Ada_MS_Windows mailing list.

Re: Ada Windows compilers

[Larry Kilgallen]

In article <83921.pukite@daina.com>, <pukite@daina.com> writes:

> Eventually I will port to the Windows 3.1 successors with Ada 95; but I 
> can't help but laugh at Microsoft's absurd Win 95 certification process. 

Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater.  I don't know the details
of the process, but I have heard that at least one requirement is that
applications be installed _and_removed_ in a standard fashion.  That
one feature is very important to a lot of sites, particularly for demo
copies.  I am not suggesting you need to be certified, but at least look
at their standards and evaluate their possible value one by one, rather
than discounting them because they came from Microsoft.

Larry Kilgallen