From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.4 (2020-01-24) on polar.synack.me X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=-0.8 required=5.0 tests=BAYES_00,INVALID_DATE, MSGID_SHORT autolearn=no autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site loral.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!bonnie!akgua!sdcsvax!sdcc6!loral!ian From: ian@loral.UUCP (Ian Kaplan) Newsgroups: net.lang.ada,net.micro,net.micro.pc Subject: Summary of responses: Availability of Ada for a PC Message-ID: <724@loral.UUCP> Date: Thu, 3-Jan-85 03:43:57 EST Article-I.D.: loral.724 Posted: Thu Jan 3 03:43:57 1985 Date-Received: Fri, 4-Jan-85 04:58:55 EST Distribution: net Organization: Loral Instrumentation, San Diego Xref: watmath net.lang.ada:145 net.micro:9003 net.micro.pc:3068 List-Id: I would like to thank all of you who sent me mail in response to my net note asking about Ada compilers for personal computers (e.g., IBM PCs or Fat Macs). As I had feared there are not a lot of Ada compilers avail- able for computers this small. Below I have summarized the information from my mail. Please forgive me if I have misunderstood or mangled the information in your letter. JANUS/Ada from RR Software The most recommended compiler was the JANUS/Ada compiler from RR Software. Their address is RR Software P.O. Box 1512 Madison, Wisconsin 53701 (608) 224-6436 RR's JANUS/Ada compiler is supposed to be fairly fast, especially when a RAM disk or winchester disk is used. The RR Ada system comes with an optimizer and a linker which automatically linkes separately compiled Ada modules. Several people mentioned that RR was in the process of perfecting their Ada implementation and that they might be going for validation in '85 or '86. At the current time RR Ada is lacking in a number of features including: tasking generics exception handling multi-dimensional arrays (ouch!) Ada standard strings operator overloading I have not checked with RR, but my correspondents told me that the price for the RR Ada compiler is in the range of $500. Site licenses are available and there are discounts for educational institutions. TeleSoft micro-Ada Several people also mentioned the TeleSoft Ada compiler which runs on smaller machines and is an offshoot of the UCSD P-system. I have not seen literature on this com- piler for a couple of years, but the last information I saw on it described it as a micro-Ada compiler. As I recall this compiler was the result of TeleSoft's first attempt to develop an Ada compiler. The Ada products for larger systems are the result of a fresh start, which followed this compiler. The address I was given for the TeleSoft office handling this product is: TeleSoft 81 Louise Road Belmont, MA (619) 484-1874 Other Versions of Ada Verdix has an Ada compiler for the IBM PC. They are going for a full Ada implementation for the Intel 80286 processor (IBM AT). A company called ALSYS is also supposed to be comming out with an Ada compiler which compiles something near full Ada. There is also a version of Ada known as Supersoft Ada which runs under CP/M and MSDOS. In the words of my correspondent Supersoft Ada is "a real dog -- avoid it at all costs! It is basically a version of Supersoft's Pascal". (I am just passing on what has been written, I have no experience with any Supersoft product.) Commentary Ada is a huge language and I do not believe that it would be viable without all of those DoD giga-bucks. Although Ada is not without its good features, there is no excuse for its size. In my opinion Modula-2 would win hands down over Ada but for two things: 1. There are only a few Modula compilers available. Of these, only one, in my opinion, is worth pur- chasing - the Logitech Modula compiler. My hope is that Borland (the authors of Turbo Pascal) will come out with a good Modula compiler at a reason- able price. 2. Modula is not a well standardized language as Ada is. Prof. Wirth's book on Modula is unclear is several areas and the standard module library defined is not sufficient for "real programming". Sometimes I hear that Ada is the language of the future. I think that Ada has taken block structured languages about as far as they can go. I think that the meaning- ful language research will concentrate on object oriented languages (e.g., offshoots of SmallTalk) and data flow languages. Well time to get off the soap box. Thanks again to those of you who wrote. Ian Kaplan Loral Data Flow Group Loral Instrumentation USENET: ucbvax!sdcsvax!sdcc6!loral!ian ARPA: sdcc6!loral!ian@UCSD Mail: 8401 Aero Dr. San Diego, CA 92123 (619) 560-5888 x4812 Disclaimer: The content of this note are the opinion of the author and not necessarily held by the author's employer. Ada is a trademark of the DoD, UCSD P-system is a trademark of the Regents of the Univ. of Calif., IBM and IBM PC are trademarks of International Business Machines.