Starting out - good compiler for DOS?

Starting out - good compiler for DOS?

[Adrian Urquhart]

Hello to all

I'm currently looking at Ada as a replacement/alternative to C++, but
getting hold of a compiler isn't easy! I can get EZ2LOAD from lots of
FTP sites, but with my 14,400 modem it's going to take a long time...

I found a shareware program called PALLADA on CompuServe, but it won't
produce an executable because the authors don't have a licence to
distribute part of FlashTek's extender (or else I'm driving it wrong).

What do you suggest? I'm using a PC with DOS as the target, and want
something which will produce .EXE files. Is there an easy way in the
UK to get hold of the Walnut Creek Ada CD Rom?

TIA

Adrian.
urquhart@netcomuk.co.uk

Re: Starting out - good compiler for DOS?

[Michael Feldman]

In article <4u2l6q$lr9@morgana.netcom.net.uk>,
Adrian Urquhart <urquhart@netcomuk.co.uk> wrote:
>Hello to all
>
>I'm currently looking at Ada as a replacement/alternative to C++, but
>getting hold of a compiler isn't easy! I can get EZ2LOAD from lots of
>FTP sites, but with my 14,400 modem it's going to take a long time...

True enough, but unless your net services are VERY expensive,
a download is cheaper than a CD or other means, if all you are getting
is ez2load. The CD, at $39.95 (I don;t know the UK price) is a
very good deal, but it's got LOTS more than just ez2load.

>I found a shareware program called PALLADA on CompuServe, but it won't
>produce an executable because the authors don't have a licence to
>distribute part of FlashTek's extender (or else I'm driving it wrong).

Never heard of that one - can you describe it more? Is it in fact Ada?

>What do you suggest? I'm using a PC with DOS as the target, and want
>something which will produce .EXE files. Is there an easy way in the
>UK to get hold of the Walnut Creek Ada CD Rom?

Write info@cdrom.com. Shouldn;t be hard to send one to the UK.
Be sure you get the July edition, not the Feb. one!

Their WWW site is at http://www.cdrom.com
>
>TIA

Hope this helps.

Mike Feldman
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Michael B. Feldman -  chair, SIGAda Education Working Group
Professor, Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
The George Washington University -  Washington, DC 20052 USA
202-994-5919 (voice) - 202-994-0227 (fax) 
http://www.seas.gwu.edu/faculty/mfeldman
------------------------------------------------------------------------
       Pork is all that money the government gives the other guys.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
WWW: http://lglwww.epfl.ch/Ada/ or http://info.acm.org/sigada/education
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Re: Starting out - good compiler for DOS?

[Jerry van Dijk]

Adrian Urquhart (urquhart@netcomuk.co.uk) wrote:

: I'm currently looking at Ada as a replacement/alternative to C++, but
: getting hold of a compiler isn't easy! I can get EZ2LOAD from lots of
: FTP sites, but with my 14,400 modem it's going to take a long time...

Well, you don't really need /all/ of EZ2LOAD to get started. There should
be a readme file telling you what you minimally need. 

On a 14K4 that might (depending on the throughput of your link) take 
a little over an hour. And yes, I have a 14K4 link also :-(

And besides, compare those download cost to the price of a commercial
compiler... you still come out ahead.

If you have a CD-ROM, the best way is of course getting a Ada CD. The
walnut creek one is IMHO the best. But make sure you have at least the
july '96 disk! (still haven't been able to track one over here :-((( )

Good luck. I'm sure that you are going to /love/ Ada.

Jerry.