Alsys question + CAIS comment

[larry@JPL-VLSI.ARPA]

One group I'm helping has an Alsys Ada compiler for the AT and needs to 
import math and other routines.  Has anyone solved this problem already?  If 
so, we'd appreciate whatever help you can give (even copies of sample code 
without explanation would be helpful).
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Several people have (rightly) taken me to task for suggesting a requirement 
for the Space Station SW Development Environment of "an operating system 
easily updated to the CAIS."  Of course, that has to be restated in more 
specific terms, and in such a way that compliance can be measured.

However, I doubt if any input to the Space Station management would 
have any effect.  They seem to be firmly committed to IBM mainframes running 
MVS.  It's what they've used with much success in the past, and people in the 
space program are (contrary to popular expectation) extremely conservative.  
Further, there are some very rational reasons for wanting IBM hardware and 
MVS operating system.  Most of their people are expert in their use and won't 
require expensive, time-consuming re-training with all the attendant chances 
for catastrophe before becoming expert; a whole suite of SW-engineering 
tools are available from the shuttle program; and they don't have to worry 
about the vendor going out of business.

Actually, I suspect the probability of many people ever using the CAIS is 
pretty small.  The CAIS has a competitor that's already won the de facto 
status of an industry-wide standard, being used by 70-80% of all programmers 
in the U.S.  And its supported by a vendor which stands to lose billions 
of dollars each year if an operating system standard is chosen that 
makes it easy to port SW to other vendors hardware.  No, it isn't Unix and 
AT&T (which many supporters of the CAIS seem to consider their bete noire,
judging from all the argument against it I hear).  Its MVS and IBM.

                                                Larry @ jpl-vlsi.ARPA