Re: More about Ada as a programming language

[johnherro@aol.com (John Herro)]

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I wrote:
>> MUSIC is easier to read when written in C.
>> SOFTWARE is easier to read when written in Ada!

����RM��@everywhere.com (����RM��) writes:
> I agree Ada's source is easier to read than in
> C. But what platform will Ada program run
> on? Does it do multimedia, graphics, etc?
     It depends on the Ada compiler.  Ada compilers are available for a
very wide variety of platforms.  Most of my experience is with a PC, but
I've used VAX Ada and Ada on Unix machines.
     The compiler I'm using at the moment, Open Ada for DOS, doesn't
directly do graphics and multimedia.  It does, however, let you call the
DOS interrupts and interface to assembly language.
     Thomson Software Products (800-833-0085, http://www.thomsoft.com)
sells ActivAda for the PC, starting at $95, which works with Windows 3.1,
NT, and 95, and supports 32-bit DLLs.  (I have no financial interest in
Thomson.)
     The Ada language standard was revised in 1983 and again in 1995.  The
compilers mentioned above are Ada 83 compilers, but Thomson is working on
an Ada 95 version of ActivAda.
     The PRINT.ME file in my Ada Tutor program includes a list of Ada
compilers for DOS and Windows only.  You can find a *complete* list of
validated Ada 83 compilers at
ftp://sw-eng.falls-church.va.us/public/AdaIC/compilers/83val/val-comp.txt,
and a complete list of validated Ada 95 compilers at
ftp://sw-eng.falls-church.va.us/public/AdaIC/compilers/95val/95vcl.txt.  A
"validated" Ada compiler is a compiler that has been tested to meet the
Ada language standard exactly, so you know that it's not a subset or
superset of standard Ada.  This, among other things, tends to make Ada
programs more portable than programs in other languages.
     I hope this helps.
- John Herro
Software Innovations Technology
http://members.aol.com/AdaTutor
ftp://members.aol.com/AdaTutor