Re: some questions on installing Ada on Linux

[Ludovic Brenta <ludovic@ludovic-brenta.org>]

"Nasser M. Abbasi" <nma@12000.org> writes:
> some basic questions. Goggling these is giving me hard so
> I thought I ask here.
>
> What is the correct way to install Ada on Linux these days?
> I am on Linux mint 17.
>
> 1) Should one install GNAT on Linux by downloading tar files from
> http://libre.adacore.com  (GPL 2014 edition) or use
>
>   sudo apt-get install gnat-4.8

gnat-4.8 is an experimental version of the compiler that will not be
maintained and has been removed from Debian.  Your use of a derivative
cuts you off from both the stable branch of Debian, which uses gnat-4.6
and provides many precompiled libraries for it, and from the unstable
and testing branches, which are in the process of switching to gnat-4.9.

Therefore, if you don't want to use Debian, you should use GNAT GPL
Edtition.  The downside is that you will have to recompile any and all
libraries that you use in your programs (only the compiler and GPS are
precompiled).

> 2) Will the sudo installation install all the stuff listed at
> libre.adacore.com? including GPS editor and all the other packages?

On Debian, yes.  On Mint and other derivatives, probably not if they
carry only gnat-4.8.

> 3) Which is more recent, gnat-4.8 or GPL 2014 edition?

See http://people.debian.org/~lbrenta/debian-ada-policy.html for full
details; in particular the section 2.3.4 "FSF Releases".

> 4) When I go to http://libre.adacore.com/download/configurations
> is there a way to tell it to check everything for download,
> without one having to spend 1 hr clicking on the check-box
> for each item? I do not see "select all"
>
> It is really confusing having Ada/GNAT in 2 different places.  Why not
> have one place to install Ada from so it is less confusing to users?

The confusion will disappear if you read the introduction to Debian
Policy for Ada :)

-- 
Ludovic Brenta.