AdaZ

AdaZ

[Frank Pappas]

  In response to some recent questions about Merdian's AdaZ, it's for
real. If any PC Ada compiler deserves to be called ``Turbo'' Ada, its
AdaZ. It's not perfect.  There's a few minor things that I think need
fixing, but nothing that would prevent me from strongly recommending
it. And I can say this after having reviewed every PC Ada Compiler on
the market. (If you read the review I wrote for PC Week, AdaZ is what
Merdian was originally calling Reach.)

  Consider what you get for $149:

     - real mode Ada compiler.
     - optimizer.
     - mainframe-like debugger.
     - the best and most complete DOS interface libraries I've seen.
     - a utility library: includes command line args, bit operations,
       peek and poke operations, and the Text_Handler package from
       section 7.6 of the LRM.
     - graphics utilities package (SOURCE INCLUDED): includes support
       for windows, graphs, circles, ellipses, lines, and rectangles.
     - generic package (SOURCE INCLUDED) of elementary functions: based
       SIGAda Numerics Working Group proposal.
     - spiral bound copy of the RM.
     - pragma INTERFACE: supports Microsoft's C and MASM.
     - pragma INLINE implemented.
     - machine code inserts.
     - good implementation of Chapter 13
     - tasking: supports preemption and time-slicing

If that's not enough, you get Meridian's Ada compilation environment
(ACE). This is an editor that provides:

     - 10 user windows
     - customizable Ada structured editor.
     - general purpose editor with
         o word processing capabilties
         o UNIX like search and replace
         o line drawing capabilities
         o editor macros
         o much more
     - hypertext help
     - hypertext Ada LRM
     - access to the compiler tools
     - customization of the environment, key assignments, and default
       compiler options

As to the code, it's good enough for anyone that wants to develop
real mode DOS applications.

  If you know someone who needs an Ada compiler for training purposes
or who just wants to find out what this A-D-A language is all about,
recommend AdaZ to them. This compiler will make a favorable first
impression on new Ada users, and that's important!

  I think Meridian deserves lots of credit for introducing AdaZ at
such a reasonable price. Obviously there's something in it for them.
I'm sure they're trying to build a customer base that will eventually
move up to their 286 version. Just the same, this is something that
should help make Ada much more widely available and understood. Maybe
if Merdian gets a big enough response, the price will stay at $149.

Re: AdaZ

[Bruce Benson]

In article <62901205205926.0004238973NC3EM@mcimail.com> 0004238973@MCIMAIL.COM (Frank Pappas) writes:
>  In response to some recent questions about Merdian's AdaZ, it's for
>real. If any PC Ada compiler deserves to be called ``Turbo'' Ada, its
>AdaZ. It's not perfect.  There's a few minor things that I think need
>fixing, but nothing that would prevent me from strongly recommending
>it. And I can say this after having reviewed every PC Ada Compiler on
>the market. (If you read the review I wrote for PC Week, AdaZ is what
>Merdian was originally calling Reach.)

The saleswoman actually told me that if I was familiar with Turbo Pascal,
then I would be comfortable with AdaZ.  She obviously never saw Turbo
Pascal.  This may be a good Ada compiler, but it sure is several generations
behind Borland/Microsoft/JPL/others in support environments.

<what you get for $149 details removed>

>If that's not enough, you get Meridian's Ada compilation environment
>(ACE). This is an editor that provides:
<details removed>

If any of you have used (as I do) the shareware blackbeard editor, then you'll
recognize and be comfortable with ACE. 

>As to the code, it's good enough for anyone that wants to develop
>real mode DOS applications.

The "hello world" generates an .exe of about 42K.  The manual gives hints
at how this can be reduced.  The compiler et al takes up about 5Mb of
space and needs a few 100K of disk space for swapping.  I only gave it about
a 100K of disk space, and ACE reported "out of memory" not "out of disk
space".  The only other glitch I've noticed is the amake program doesn't
like the MS-DOS ctrl-z file termination indicator for text files.  It calls
it an unknown keyword - which is confusing since the ctrl-z is generally
nonprintable: Unknown keyword "" (I piped the output to 4dos list and
it showed the ctrl-z graphic arrow).

I ran the Dinning Philosophers portable example provided here on usenet and
it prints the opening positions, then did nothing.  I'm not an Ada guru
but I suspect the compiler configuration I used was incorrect, vice anything
wrong with AdaZ.

>  If you know someone who needs an Ada compiler for training purposes
>or who just wants to find out what this A-D-A language is all about,
>recommend AdaZ to them. This compiler will make a favorable first
>impression on new Ada users, and that's important!

If I were a command-line junkie, I might agree.  While Borland and Microsoft
environments are not the best editors, the environments can still 
significantly boost the productivity of the programmer - especially the
new programmer (in any language).  Meridian's ACE reminds me of the 
environments I used during the days of micros using CP/M.  

>  I think Meridian deserves lots of credit for introducing AdaZ at
>such a reasonable price. Obviously there's something in it for them.
>I'm sure they're trying to build a customer base that will eventually
>move up to their 286 version. Just the same, this is something that
>should help make Ada much more widely available and understood. Maybe
>if Merdian gets a big enough response, the price will stay at $149.

I bought AdaZ because I needed to get to know Ada better than I do now, so
to Meridian, thanks for the low price.  But if you think I'm going to use
this to develop with (my own stuff, or utilities, etc) then I think we've
overrated the role of the compiler in the development process.

* Bruce Benson                   + Internet  - bwb@sei.cmu.edu +       +
* Software Engineering Institute + Compuserv - 76226,3407      +    >--|>
* Carnegie Mellon University     + Voice     - 412 268 8469    +       +
* Pittsburgh PA 15213-3890       +                             +  US Air Force

Re: AdaZ

[David Weller]

In article <62901205205926.0004238973NC3EM@mcimail.com> 0004238973@MCIMAIL.COM (Frank Pappas) writes:
>
>  In response to some recent questions about Merdian's AdaZ, it's for
>real. If any PC Ada compiler deserves to be called ``Turbo'' Ada, its
>AdaZ. It's not perfect.  There's a few minor things that I think need
>fixing, but nothing that would prevent me from strongly recommending
>it. And I can say this after having reviewed every PC Ada Compiler on
>the market. (If you read the review I wrote for PC Week, AdaZ is what
>Merdian was originally calling Reach.)
>
>  Consider what you get for $149:

Yes, it's quite a bargain.  The question is:  Will Meridian continue
this practice?  My mailing indicated that on Dec 25th, the price
jumps up to $495 (Merry Christmas :-) ).  I know a lot of students
in the local area that would jump at the chance for a cheep Ada
compiler, but most want to wait until Jan.  As for myself, I have
used the Meridian Ada compiler for some time, and have found it
to be sufficient for light to medium projects.  I am sure that,
over time, this will become a more polished product.  The folks at
Meridian deserve a pat on the back (especially you, Pammy!) for 
listening to the masses of people who wanted Ada, but didn't want
to take out a second mortgage.  Of course, somehow, I can't imagine
Alsys or Telesoft slashing prices (Imagine Apple cutting the cost
of a Mac IIfx in half)..

>  If you know someone who needs an Ada compiler for training purposes
>or who just wants to find out what this A-D-A language is all about,
					 ^^^^^^
Sadly, I still get those kind of questions from people (CS types, no
less!).

Well, to my intended point:  I am aware of a company (name escapes
me -- they made a big impression) that was marketing a CASE tool
called Ada_Z...have they changed their name, gone out of business,
or can't afford an ambulance-chaser to sue Meridian? :-)

Dave Weller            |   *This message void where prohibited by law.
Computer Sciences Corp.|   *Batteries not included.  Member FDIC.

Disklaimer:  "Hey, that's my floppy, give it back!"

Re: AdaZ

[Michael Feldman]

In article <731@ajpo.sei.cmu.edu> wellerd@ajpo.sei.cmu.edu (Dave Weller) writes:
--
--Yes, it's quite a bargain.  The question is:  Will Meridian continue
--this practice?  My mailing indicated that on Dec 25th, the price
--jumps up to $495 (Merry Christmas :-) ).  I know a lot of students

It'd be nice if folks called Meridian to ascertain what's going on.
They have told me and anyone who asked that their student price will be $149. 
forever, and that after the attention they got at Tri-Ada the "introductory" 
price will hold for at least another month. My guess is that it'll hold for 
longer than that, maybe forever.

--to take out a second mortgage.  Of course, somehow, I can't imagine
--Alsys or Telesoft slashing prices (Imagine Apple cutting the cost
--of a Mac IIfx in half)..

Well, neither Alsys nor TeleSoft will run on an unadorned AT; Meridian
charges a lot for _their_ 386/extended mode system too. Sad but true.

As for Apple: at least they are trying to do _something_ at the low end. Now
if only somebody would bring out a usable Mac Ada (not an MPW tool but a
reall Mac Ada compiler)...By the way: Meridian will sell their Mac Ada to
students for $200.
  
-->  If you know someone who needs an Ada compiler for training purposes
-->or who just wants to find out what this A-D-A language is all about,
--					 ^^^^^^
--Sadly, I still get those kind of questions from people (CS types, no
--less!).
Me too. Some of 'em are in the government.
  
--Well, to my intended point:  I am aware of a company (name escapes
--me -- they made a big impression) that was marketing a CASE tool
--called Ada_Z...have they changed their name, gone out of business,
--or can't afford an ambulance-chaser to sue Meridian? :-)

Hmmm. The company is TASC, and indeed they sued Meridian. (They had made
such a big splash that Meridian didn't know the name had been taken!) 
Meridian is apparently changing the name in some way to satisfy TASC.
Stay tuned for the name change. Meridian has been trying to get people
to say "Open Ada" recently, like at Tri-Ada.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Prof. Michael Feldman
Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
The George Washington University
Washington, DC 20052
202-994-5253
mfeldman@seas.gwu.edu
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Re: AdaZ

[Joe Vlietstra]

In article <731@ajpo.sei.cmu.edu> wellerd@ajpo.sei.cmu.edu (Dave Weller) writes:
>
>Well, to my intended point:  I am aware of a company (name escapes
>me -- they made a big impression) that was marketing a CASE tool
>called Ada_Z...have they changed their name, gone out of business,
>or can't afford an ambulance-chaser to sue Meridian? :-)
>
Ada_Z is also the name of the Ada PDL tool used by TASC (The Analytic
Sciences Corp).  A short description of Ada_Z is in Judy Kerner's
Ada Design Language Developers Matrix, Ada Letters, vol X, No 8,
(Nov/Dev 1990), page 45.
According to this description Ada_Z is for internal use only at
TASC.
			Joe Vlietstra

Best:	...!uunet!mojsys!joevl
OK:	MOJAVE@HMCVAX.CLAREMONT.EDU
Iffy:	joevl@Mojsys.COM
Voice:	(714) 621-7372

Re: AdaZ

[MUNTS PHILLIP A]

In article <1990Dec18.073715.2181@mojsys.uucp>, joevl@mojsys.uucp (Joe Vlietstra) writes...
>In article <731@ajpo.sei.cmu.edu> wellerd@ajpo.sei.cmu.edu (Dave Weller) writes:
>>
>>Well, to my intended point:  I am aware of a company (name escapes
>>me -- they made a big impression) that was marketing a CASE tool
>>called Ada_Z...have they changed their name, gone out of business,
>>or can't afford an ambulance-chaser to sue Meridian? :-)
>>
>Ada_Z is also the name of the Ada PDL tool used by TASC (The Analytic
>Sciences Corp).  A short description of Ada_Z is in Judy Kerner's
>Ada Design Language Developers Matrix, Ada Letters, vol X, No 8,
>(Nov/Dev 1990), page 45.
>According to this description Ada_Z is for internal use only at
>TASC.
>			Joe Vlietstra

     My AdaZ (or is it Meridian Ada 4.1?) came with a note acknowledging this
and stating the name would change.

Philip Munts N7AHL
NRA Extremist, etc.
University of Alaska, Fairbanks

AdaZ

[Steve Lawrence]

I am unable to compile any ADA source file using Meridian's ACE software
that comes with the ADA Z package for the PC.  I always receive an
invalid function number error message.  I can't even compile their test
program.  The command line version of their compiler seems to work fine.

I am also unable to link an executable from inside ACE (using code that
has been compiled using the command line compiler).  It keeps telling me
that I am out of memory.  I have 585K RAM free before I run ACE.  It's
pretty hard to squeeze more memory than that out of a PC.

Their "amake" program maintainer also seems to get confused.  It
sometimes doesn't do everything required, and sometimes does too much.

I have sent a message about this to Meridian.  I haven't heard anything
back so I thought I might see if anybody else is having problems.  (In
all fairness, my message may not have made it to Meridian).


Thanks for any help, Steve

Re: AdaZ

[fisher]

In article <19910502173346.1.STEVE@CYCLOPS.it.drea.dnd.ca>, Steve@BALROG.IT.DREA.DND.CA (Steve Lawrence) writes:
> I am unable to compile any ADA source file using Meridian's ACE software
> that comes with the ADA Z package for the PC.  I always receive an
> invalid function number error message.  I can't even compile their test
> program.  The command line version of their compiler seems to work fine.
> 
Check the following:

	- Your path
	- your config.sys to allow sufficient space for your environment vars
	- your acedir environment variable.
	- you have created your library

I received Ada-Z last month and haven't had much time to work with it, but was
able to compile the examples and use the ACE.  I am using a 4.77 mhz PC-XT with
640K and CGA, and I doubt you can get a system much more "minimum" than that. 
The compiler and ACE work great in my opinion (I'm just a little spoiled
because of the extra template definitions in the VAX Ada LSE template...nice to
get header documentation in at the expansion of a token!)

The product (in my opinion) is a great deal if what you want is an Ada compiler
for your PC at home.  The prices are good (even since they dropped off the
discount), the product is validated, and most importantly doesn't appear to be
too buggy (yes you can have validated compilers that are buggy, especially with
related utilities etc.).

-- 
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
  Lawrence Fisher                Internet: fisher@edwards-vax.af.mil
  Digital Equipment Corporation                         ^
  Principal Software Specialist  Currently working here | (Edwards AFB, CA)
  Specializing in Realtime       
  Disclaimer:  I don't speak for Digital or the U. S. Air Force
    "Bomb Number 20, you're out of the bomb bay again"
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Re: AdaZ

[Donald Bowen]

	Two weeks ago I istalled AdaZ on my 20 Mhz 286 AT.  It was not
untill I removed "ALL" TSRs and a device driver that I was able to compile.
The machine has 1 mag of extended RAM but I have not been able to find out
how to use it.

	My home machine is a 10 Mhz 286 with 4 meg of extended mamory.  AdaZ
installed and ran without unloading anything.

	If anyone has any suggestion on how to use extended memory, please
pas it along.

	DonB

Re: AdaZ

[rharwood]

In article <19910502173346.1.STEVE@CYCLOPS.it.drea.dnd.ca>,
Steve@BALROG.IT.DREA.DND.CA (Steve Lawrence) writes:

> I am unable to compile any ADA source file using Meridian's ACE software
> that comes with the ADA Z package for the PC.  ...
> 
> I have sent a message about this to Meridian.  I haven't heard anything
> back so I thought I might see if anybody else is having problems.  (In
> all fairness, my message may not have made it to Meridian).

I've used the ACE editor on a 1MB 16Mhz 386SX with great success.  Another
response indicated a fews things to check which seemed reasonable.

If you don't get a response from Meridian, call them at 1-800-221-2522.  Their
Technical Support "technically" costs extra, but I think they're pretty willing
to answer "quickies" over the phone.
-----
Ray Harwood           |Data Basix           |Associate Faculty,    
Voice: (602)721-1988  |PO Box 18324         |   Pima Community College
FAX:   (602)721-7240  |Tucson, AZ 85731     |Instructor in Ada and Pascal
CompuServe: 76645,1370|AppleLink: DATA.BASIX|Internet: rharwood@east.pima.edu