From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.4 (2020-01-24) on polar.synack.me X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=0.6 required=5.0 tests=BAYES_00,FROM_WORDY autolearn=no autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 X-Google-Thread: 103376,f2aa0ddde84d1b0a X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit From: "Chip Orange" Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada References: <4uudnaJ7BJK8g4XbnZ2dnUVZ_t-mnZ2d@comcast.com> <2IWRh.39480$_c5.25338@attbi_s22> <461a279f$0$79139$e4fe514c@news.xs4all.nl> Subject: Re: GNAT verses A# for soft-realtime system Date: Mon, 9 Apr 2007 13:44:03 -0400 Organization: FPSC X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Newsreader: Microsoft Outlook Express 6.00.2900.3028 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2900.3028 X-RFC2646: Format=Flowed; Original NNTP-Posting-Host: 207.156.28.16 Message-ID: <461a71f9$1@news.hcs.net> X-Trace: news.hcs.net 1176138233 207.156.28.16 (9 Apr 2007 13:03:53 -0400) Path: g2news1.google.com!news2.google.com!news.glorb.com!bigfeed2.bellsouth.net!news.bellsouth.net!news.hcs.net!not-for-mail Xref: g2news1.google.com comp.lang.ada:14848 Date: 2007-04-09T13:44:03-04:00 List-Id: "Rob Veenker" wrote in message news:461a279f$0$79139$e4fe514c@news.xs4all.nl... > Chip and Allie Orange wrote: > >> >> "Jeffrey R. Carter" wrote in message >> news:2IWRh.39480$_c5.25338@attbi_s22... >>> Chip and Allie Orange wrote: >>>> >>>> I can purchase a Windows-based PC robot for $5k, and I'd like to learn >>>> to program it to do autonomous functions (including realtime image >>>> analysis). >>>> >>>> I have a choice of GNAT or A# for my programming environment. >>> >>> A# is a version of GNAT that targets .net. >>> >>> If you're willing to pay $5k for your robot, you might be willing to pay >>> 10% or less of that for a supported compiler. AdaCore doesn't provide >>> anything in that price range, but both Aonix and RR SW do. >>> >>> Whether you go with a supported compiler, or with a free version of GNAT >>> (including A#), you have a couple of decisions to make. One is which >>> version of Ada you want to use. Only GNAT GPL implements most of the >>> most >>> recent version; A# and the commercial compilers implement Ada 95. >>> >>> The other is the target platform you want to use. Apparently you have a >>> Windows target but could also use .net on top of that. Using .net would >>> constrain you to A#. >>> >>> These are not decisions we can make for you. GNAT GPL has some errors in >>> the new features, but if you're interested in learning the new version >>> of >>> Ada, that might be the way you want to go. If you'd rather have support >>> and Ada 95 is acceptable, a commercial compiler would probably be your >>> choice. If you'd like to use existing .net SW, A# would be the way to >>> go. >>> >> >> >> Thanks Jeff. >> >> I am constrained by an NDA from saying why .net offers me some >> advantages, >> but it does. >> >> You've helped answer one of my questions, in that I now understand A# is >> Ada95, while GNAT/GPL is Ada2005. I was interested in Ada2005, as long >> as >> I'm bothering to throw my time and money into this. >> >> My question was also, does .net have something about it that makes it a >> poor >> environment for soft real-time systems? Especially, does it produce code >> that's noticeably slow, or that garbage collects in some way that would >> make it less than desirable for real-time systems with very limited CPU >> resources? >> >> Do the additional features of 2005 target real-time systems? >> >> Finally, are the products from compiler vendors (Aionix and RR) that much >> better than GNAT/GPL? >> >> Thanks again. >> >> Chip > > You may want to take a look at > http://www.adacore.com/wp-content/files/attachments/adacore_news_1106_web.pdf > Thank you Rob. This obviously makes GNAT/Pro attractive to me, but as a hobbyist, is there a version that I could reasonably afford? Or, will these features planned for GNAT/Pro also be available in GNAT/GPL? I'm not quite clear on pricing, or if there are differences in the feature set of the two versions of GNAT? I believe GNAT/Pro buys you support, but I'm not sure if it buys you a different compiler or not? Thanks again, Chip