Re: Alsys Ada question

[Richard D Riehle <laoXhai@ix.netcom.com>]

In article <38C53DCC.C89AE4BF@silver.jhuapl.edu>,
	Scott Ingram <scott@silver.jhuapl.edu> wrote:

>I've inherited a system that was built using 
>"DOS Alsys Ada 4.2 for 80X86 and cross." 
>
>In the sources, there is a "with" clause for a
>package "Unsigned," which I do not recall being
>a standard Ada83 package...so I am presuming that
>this package was supplied by Alsys with the compiler.
>Can anyone confirm or deny that supposition?

Alsys was one of the compiler publishers intelligent enough
to provide a package Unsigned with its compiler.  I recall the
agony of using compilers that did not support any kind of unsigned
integer under Ada 83.  With Ada 95, you may define your own unsigned
integer type.  So "with Unsigned" is a legal context clause with 
the Alsys 83 compiler.

>Also, who would I contact to see if that product is
>still available?

One would hope that Aonix would support it.  http://www.aonix.com.  However,
there is a question still on the table of how much support anyone can
expect with the recent shakeup at Aonix.  It is not clear that anyone is left
in the organization with knowledge or experience of the Alsys Ada 83 product
line since they dismantled the office in Burlington, MA where most of that
knowledge was concentrated.  

You are probably better off making the transition to an Ada 95 compiler.  It is
upward compatible, in most respects, and will ultimately give you a better, more
maintainable software application.  Whatever you do, don't fall into the trap of
trying to convert the application to C++.  That is an "out of the frying pan and
into the fire" solution.  

Richard Riehle