Re: How common are Ada compilers?

[billwolf%hazel.cs.clemson.edu@hubcap.clemson.edu (William Thomas Wolfe, 2847 )]

From matsl@nada.kth.se (Mats Luthman):
> Is Ada a suitable implementation language if you are going to develop a
> fairly large program that you want to run on many different systems?

   Yes; compilers are widely available, and well-standardized via the
   compiler validation process administered by the Ada Joint Program
   Office.  Provided that you have isolated machine-dependent things
   (interfaces to specialized I/O devices and such) into specific packages,
   the porting of Ada software is very easily done. 
   
> Are there Ada compilers for all major operating systems (IBM systems, VMS,
> all UNIX systems, MS-DOS and extended memory (4 Mbyte and more, maybe
> generating 386 code), OS/2)? 

   Ada compilers are available for the following operating systems:

      PS/2, MS-DOS, MicroVMS, VMS, Concentrix, Ultrix, BSD 4.2,
      HP-UX, PC/DOS, OS/2, Unix System V, VM, MVS, Domain/OS,
      Sun OS, A/UX, Unigraph/X, SPIX, Emeraude, MASSCOMP RTU,
      OS/32, NOS/VE, Convex Unix, UNICOS, AOS/VS, ENIX, Umax, 
      MACH, UTX/32, MPX-32, CX/UX, CX/RT, VOS, GCOS 8, AIX, UTS,  
      ISI, MOS, Zeus, Macintosh OS (Finder 6.0, System 4.2), IX,
      UMIPS, Rational OS, BS2000, Dynix, Munix, GUARDIAN 90,
      SINTRAN III, and TX, as of July 1989.  

   As for extended memory, I know of at least one Ada vendor (Alsys)
   whose compiler allows you to exploit the full 16-megabyte address
   capacity of the 286/386 chips.  This is extended memory with enforced
   protection, not expanded, bank-switched memory.  The run-time executive
   will switch to real mode automatically when the application needs to
   make a call to DOS.  Alsys also provides extended memory for OS/2.
 
> Is there a greater chance of finding a C++
> compiler than an Ada compiler on a randomly chosen system?

   I'm not directly familiar with the availability of C++ compilers,
   but hopefully you are beginning to get the idea as far as Ada
   compiler availability is concerned.

> Are the Ada compilers on UNIX good (fast, error free et.c.)? 

   I use Telesoft's TeleGen2 compiler on Sun workstations, and
   have been very happy with it; I'll send greater detail upon request.   
 
   I would suggest that you first pick your candidate compilers and
   then post an article asking specifically about those compilers,
   rather than the entire universe of Ada compilers for Unix, which
   probably nobody will have a complete knowledge of due to the
   large number of compilers involved.
 
> Which SUN computers have Ada compilers? 

   Sun-386i, Sun 3/50, 52, 60, 75, 110, 160, 180, 260, & 280,
   and Sun-4/110, 150, 260, & 280, as of July 1989.

> Do these compilers come with X Window (and, on SUNs, Sunview) interfaces?

   The compiler I use comes with a Sunview interface automatically,
   and an X-Windows interface is available.  Other vendors may supply
   both automatically, or neither; depends on the vendor....

> Mats Luthman

   I would suggest that you contact either Bengt Lennartson at 
   bln@ida.liu.se (Bengt is the point of contact for Sweden SIGAda),
   or phone Gunnar Blomqvist at +46 8 663 15 00 (Gunnar is the point
   of contact for Ada in Sweden).  If you are planning to do the Ada 
   work in the USA, I can supply the points of contact for USA vendors. 

      
   Bill Wolfe, wtwolfe@hubcap.clemson.edu