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From: Mark Carroll <mtbc@bcs.org>
Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada
Subject: Re: What exactly is the licensing situation with GNAT?
Date: Wed, 12 Nov 2014 09:25:29 +0000
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Date: 2014-11-12T09:25:29+00:00
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Hubert <herrdoktor@fumanchu.com> writes:

> If not I will take a hard look at the FSF version, what puts me off
> for the time being is the comments I read so far that the FSF version
> is behind the GPL version, however I don't know yet in what particular
> way, if it's missing language features, missing libraries, having bugs
> that are fixed in the GPL version etc.

I also have the impression that there's a lack of assurance that
bug-fixes, etc. will keep flowing to the FSF version, and there's a
shortage of cheap or free alternatives for compiling closed code?
(It's not like I am funded by CPFF contracts from DoD BAAs.)

I had been looking at creating an GUI application that would have to
work well on Windows, so I also have a bit of work to do in
understanding more about the dependency on MinGW for that, but maybe
that's all transparent and wonderful, just new to me.

I don't need to make language decisions right now, but all this is
keeping me nervously on the fence; I don't want to commit to a direction
for which affordable support is in danger of withering and, while I had
thought it a good idea to use a coming project to learn and try out Ada,
it is not like I am having to develop near-real-time embedded systems or
suchlike.

-- Mark