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=-1.3 required=5.0 tests=BAYES_00,INVALID_MSGID autolearn=no autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit X-Google-Thread: 103376,4509214aa8b1885b X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public From: Richard D Riehle Subject: Re: GNAT Support Costs Date: 2000/01/24 Message-ID: <86ikf3$dgn$1@nntp3.atl.mindspring.net>#1/1 X-Deja-AN: 577120472 References: Organization: MindSpring Enterprises X-Server-Date: 24 Jan 2000 22:41:39 GMT Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada Date: 2000-01-24T22:41:39+00:00 List-Id: In article , Simon Wright wrote: >Robert Kirkbride writes: >> Does anyone have any recommendations of cheaper compilers that cater >> for small projects? > >Aonix, perhaps? Who knows how long Aonix will be viable for Ada compilers. They just fired most of the people with any experience in Ada and closed down the Burlington office where all the Wintel work is done. Word is that Aonix even fired their president and others from the old Ada group. So, "Aonix, perhaps," but I would not count on it. Low-cost compilers? Only GNAT is completed with all the libaries. Janus from RR Software is pretty good if you can live without some of the libraries and a few features such as requeue, ATC, and other seldom-used features. Stoneybrook Software makes the Ada compiler being used for Sage-ST (formerly AdaSage), and it produces pretty efficient code. Stoneybrook Ada, like Janus, is missing some of the Ada 95 features. Rational apparently decided not to upgrade Meridian to Ada 95. Maybe Averstar will decide to package its Ada compiler and sell it in shrinkwrap form if Aonix gets out of the Ada business. Ada compiler publishing is an expensive business. ACT is discovering the economics of it and responding appropriately. In fact, any company that relies on compilers for its revenue is likely to find the markeplace small. Borland found out about that before it went through its restructuring. Ada is a very tiny marketplace. To make money in software one can either raise prices to meet the small demand for product or have a product (such as Quicken) for which the demand is so high the unit price can be small. It is very difficult to fault ACT for its pricing given the small marketplace demanding a high quality product. Now if Ada were as popular as Java or C++ ... Richard Riehle richard@adaworks.com