Re: The GNU Ada compiler

[Martin Krischik <krischik@users.sourceforge.net>]

Steve Whalen wrote:

> Martin Krischik wrote:

>> I think AdaCore could do with some competition in the binary distribution
>> area. Especial for targets for which they don't offer a GNAT/GPL edition.
 
> First, thank you for getting this project started again.

Thanks.
 
> I agree that it is badly needed and appreciate your efforts. I think
> we need these compilers for all targets, whether or not GNAT/GPL
> editions are available. Much of the real world lives outside the GPL
> universe and a GPL only compiler is not going to help get Ada into
> such a shop, particularly a smaller shop.

Currently I concentrate much on the GNAT/GPL but I think that may change
when gcc 4.1 is out of the door. Apart from that I monitor the download
stats to see what is appreciated and what is waisted effort.

Interestingly enough currently source-rpm are more in demand then actual
binaries.

> It doesn't do any good to try to convince a small shop to start using
> Ada by having them try the GNAT GPL version, when they know that it's
> going to cost them several thousand dollars (or euros) per seat for a
> version of Ada that allows them to write non-GPL proprietary
> applications.  Especially in non-defense oriented smaller shops, they
> just don't have that kind of money to throw at a technology they
> aren't' sure they can make use of.  We need free GMGPL compilers to
> bridge that gap.

Indeed. 

> To proselytize Ada requires being able to put a fully usable Ada
> compiler on whatever hardware and software environment is used in a
> shop you want to impress without cost or restriction, and without
> worrying about whether the Ada compiler is as brain dead as some of
> them were / are when the gcc maintainers and the distribution release
> people decided to pull the gcc tree for a distribution's release.

This is why I hope to draw any maintainer to the project so we have a one
stop for all GNAT needs.

> We DO very much need a separate effort to be able to package Ada at
> those times when it is stable and then make THAT compiler and those
> libraries available with the GMGPL exceptions in all the right places.

Yep and I just added the first library. One Stop. Don't ask for anything - I
add the libraries I use for selfish reasons: Having installation images
handy is helpfull from time to time.

> The gcc that is chosen for release by distribution maintainers is
> based on many factors, the very least of which is the state of the Ada
> compiler in that particular flavor of gcc.

Right. That's why - up to now - I never used the distribution compiler. This
might change if 4.1 holds all it's promisses.

> If we could point the distribution maintainers to a sourceforge site
> and have them know that at any point in time the most stable version
> of Ada was available there, we might have a very good chance that
> quality Ada compilers would be distributed with more than just debian
> (for which I thank Ludovic Brenta).

This is why I make all the .spec files available as well - even as an rpm
install.

> In particular for proselytizing Ada, stable GMGPL Ada compilers need
> to be available for Windows (Ming and cygwin), Redhat, SUSE, Mandrake,
> and Solaris.

As I said before: I can only do SuSE and only the version I use. Redhat
could be done using the Sourceforge compile farm - only GNAT is not
installed there :-( - but one can allways ask for it to be installed (does
anybody know the package names?).

Martin
-- 
mailto://krischik@users.sourceforge.net
Ada programming at: http://ada.krischik.com