Re: Web browser in Ada

[Gautier write-only <gautier_niouzes@hotmail.com>]

Peter C. Chapin:

> I had actually thought that building a web browser in Ada would be a nice
> project (if only I had more time!). I'm not sure how much of a difference in
> security it would make... probably some.

> Any browser that could be realistically used would need to support JavaScript.
> While an Ada JavaScript implementation might (or might not) be more secure
> than a C implementation, it seems to me that any vulnerability related to the
> JavaScript language itself would still be a risk.

Maybe it is a bit naive, but I have the impression that JavaScript's
vulnerability can be limited to the interaction with the surronding
operating system: file I/O and code execution (this includes starting
a plug-in).

> In any case, the real benefit of such a project would be more in the
> development of associated libraries and supporting code (imagine processing,
> HTML parsing and rendering, CSS handling, etc, etc)...

Sure. For images, I could provide some bits (some of them existing),
even in a generic way (reusable for other projects, GUIs etc.).

> and in the visibility
> a successful project would give to Ada. I suspect Ada was first standardized
> before many current web developers were born; it might be fun to see what
> sort of reception an Ada web browser project would get in that community.

Just remind them that the current browsers are made in a language
their grandparents were already using :-).

> Anyway a good first step might be the implementation of an HTML 5 parser in
> Ada. Rather than playing catch-up that would put an Ada web browser project
> right in the thick of the bleeding edge of the web world.

But probably when there will be something working you will have to
catchup with HTML 8 :-)
Just kidding. It is a very good idea, especially that the W3C
specification gives also hints about the parsing.
G.