Re: GNAT Support Costs

[Laurent Guerby <guerby@acm.org>]

"Rob Kirkbride" <rob@rk-comp.demon.co.uk> writes:
> [...] For the project I am on at the moment all that support is just
> not required.  I would like just to buy a compiler, if I find bugs I
> would like to be able to report them. If a fix exists I would like
> to take that fix. I also don't need a support infrastructure to
> support 10 different people. [...]

Hi Rob, I must admit I still fail to see why the public version of
GNAT doesn't meet your needs here. You pay $0 (or $x if you get it
from a cheap byte CD), you have an email to report bugs too, you'll
get fixes with the next public version (that you can buy too), and if
you're on Linux you have a dedicated team that is able to produce
Linux related fixes (also with an email). If you're stuck with a
problem, it's probable some experimented GNAT user (or customer) will
propose a workaround on mailing lists/newgroups.

If it's the $0 tag or having to pay to some company that doesn't
improves GNAT directly that is a moral problem, you can always
write a check to the FSF or to ACT (I don't know if they have a
special fund for this).

--LG