Re: seperate keyword and seperate compilation with Gnat?

[johnherro@aol.com (John Herro)]

I said:
>> Janus/Ada 83 for DOS has a compiler/linker switch
>> to tell the system that the whole program will fit into
>> a .COM file, so it can generate shorter jumps."

dewar@cs.nyu.edu (Robert Dewar) replied:
> That's surely confused... perhaps you mean... shorter
> calls?... True, but not something that is relevant any
> more these days.

     You're right on both counts!  They call it "small memory model," and
it's not important these days.  My point is that perhaps we can use the
same *philosophy* for a partial solution to the Gnat subunits problem.
     The philosophy, which went into pragmas Restrictions and
Discard_Names, is that the user can optionally give the compiler
information to generate more efficient code.
     When the user specifies no tasking, couldn't the compiler then handle
subunits in the traditional sense and still generate efficient code?
     Even when there might be tasking, perhaps there could be a compiler
option for traditional handling of subunits, in cases where rapid
development is more important than code efficiency.
     I realize that's asking for a lot, especially from a free compiler!!!
- John Herro
Software Innovations Technology
http://members.aol.com/AdaTutor
ftp://members.aol.com/AdaTutor