Re: Stability for Embedded Applications?

[g_harrison@vger.nsu.edu ((George C. Harrison) Norfolk State University)]

In article <9101130210.AA02405@NSWC-WO.ARPA>, wdence@NSWC-WO.ARPA (Walter Dence) writes:
> Stability for Embedded Applications?

[lots of stuff deleted]

>We required Ada and the 
> contractor purchased and is now using an Ada cross compiler.  Now
> we are preparing to receive the system and are purchasing a cross
> compiler and an in-circuit emulator "identical" to his for 
> evaluation and maintenance of the system.
> 
>      A stub has just come to my desk for $37,000.00.  Our host is
> to be an 80286 machine.
> 
>      But, the shocking price is not my only concern.


$37,000 is a lot of dough if you are doing this by yourself; however, if you
make this investment and spend say $4,000 a year for upgrades including into
the new validation suite, it certainly should be reasonable.  That is LESS than
the cost of hiring ONE good programmer for one year.  Too many companies will
invest maga bucks in personnel and do not want to spend money on making their
work MUCH more efficient.  

An anology - if you want a hammer to use on a major project in your home, where
to you buy it?  At K-Mart for $6.59 or at Sears (Craftsman) for $35.99 for a
life-time guarantee....

Sure Turbo Pasqual is virtually free and is easy to work, but you are in a
different sort of application to be maintained over a LONG time.  

You, frankly, make it sound like that if a compiler disappears temporarily (as
did most) from the validation list, all the executable images will suddenly go
on strike.  

>     Why in the world do we all put up with all the problems of 
> Ada in this conference if it is not stable?  And how did things 
> go so wrong in our Ada community to result in this unbelievable 
> pricing for a compiler and in-circuit emulator on a very popular 
> industry-standard PC hosted onto a very popular industry-standard
> target?

What problems in the conference??  

Sorry, if this all sounds like a flame, but I really believe that this kind of
thinking is fairly typical in parts of the Ada community and is wrong-headed.

George..

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