Re: RATIONAL TESTMATE for ADA Testing - Any experiences to share ?

[Robert Dewar <dewar@gnat.com>]

In article <7i9du6$1a2$1@lure.pipex.net>,
  "David Akister" <wellgate@dial.pipex.com> wrote:

> With the need for
> validated compilers for safety-critical use this does make
> life difficult.

I find this a bit worrying for two reasons.

1) I worry that people read more into validation than is
appropriate. Validation is useful as one of many tests for
compiler quality, but that is all.

2) Safety critical applications are quite likely to be using
an Ada subset like CSMART, which cannot possibly be validated
in any case.

If the requirement for using a base compiler technology that
is validated is just one of many requirements, then that is
fine, but I have several times run into people who seem to
think that this is

a) a vital requirement (it is not)

b) some kind of assurance of safety (it is not)

With regard to Ada testing, a lot depends on what you are trying
to achieve. Certainly you should be able to find coverage tools
on the actual target you are running on, and there are also a
number of test generation tools that are applicable to many
different target environments.

Robert Dewar
Ada Core Technologies


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