Evaluating Ada compilers -- any experiences, tips?

Evaluating Ada compilers -- any experiences, tips?

[mjsilva]

While we're waiting to see if we've made a convincing argument for
using Ada in our industrial controller proposal I'm back to looking at
compilers.  I've sent off info requests to all of the compiler vendors
I could find, but I'd like to hear any experiences or info (positive or
negative) with Ada toolsets regarding e.g. compiler quality, support,
long-term commitment to Ada, etc.

Our target is the PowerPC MPC555, and the host will be Windows.

Here's my email address if anybody wants to respond privately:

msilva@amotusa.com

Thanks much for any help!

Mike


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Re: Evaluating Ada compilers -- any experiences, tips?

[n_brunot]

We don't have experience in cross-platform compilers, but with same
target/host platform, we find very good to always have several
compilers checking every day (just run compilation after day work, and
check in the morning than it's ok), and only one for tests and release
versions.
This allows you to keep ADA code as independant as possible from the
compiler (in case that one day you have to change it for any reason),
and may be detect one day than one of your checking compiler is better
than your release compiler.
More than that, a bad compiler can be easier and faster to use for
writing code and syntax check, supposing of course than tests and
release versions are compiled with the good compiler, but may be not so
fast and easy to use.

see subject Windows NT ADA compilers comparison on this forum.

In article <8m9l8c$3g2$1@nnrp1.deja.com>,
  mjsilva@my-deja.com wrote:
> While we're waiting to see if we've made a convincing argument for
> using Ada in our industrial controller proposal I'm back to looking at
> compilers.  I've sent off info requests to all of the compiler vendors
> I could find, but I'd like to hear any experiences or info (positive
or
> negative) with Ada toolsets regarding e.g. compiler quality, support,
> long-term commitment to Ada, etc.
>
> Our target is the PowerPC MPC555, and the host will be Windows.
>
> Here's my email address if anybody wants to respond privately:
>
> msilva@amotusa.com
>
> Thanks much for any help!
>
> Mike
>
> Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
> Before you buy.
>


Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.

Re: Evaluating Ada compilers -- any experiences, tips?

[Jerry Petrey]

Stephen Leake wrote:
> 
> mjsilva@my-deja.com writes:
> 
> > While we're waiting to see if we've made a convincing argument for
> > using Ada in our industrial controller proposal I'm back to looking at
> > compilers.  I've sent off info requests to all of the compiler vendors
> > I could find, but I'd like to hear any experiences or info (positive or
> > negative) with Ada toolsets regarding e.g. compiler quality, support,
> > long-term commitment to Ada, etc.
> 
> I've been very happy with ACT support for GNAT, and with GNAT itself,
> on a Windows NT target.
> 
> I've been very unhappy with Aonix support. The Aonix compiler is ok,
> but not as good as GNAT. The Aonix debugger is much worse than gdb.
> 
> But I strongly suggest you pick a different host. Windows NT boxes
> seem cheap, and are somewhat easy to administer. But they crash, and
> tools don't work as well. Ask the Ada vendor what their prefered host
> is, and get one of those. Then put Emacs on it, and you're all set.
> 
> --
> -- Stephe

I, too, have been extremely unhappy with Aonix support both for 
personal and professional systems.  GNAT is very good.  I use
Rational mostly in professional work and have always been happy
with them.


Jerry
-- 
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-- Jerry Petrey                                                
-- Senior Principal Systems Engineer - Member Team Ada & Team Forth
-- Raytheon Missile Systems 
-- NOTE: please remove NOSPAM in email address to reply                  
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Re: Evaluating Ada compilers -- any experiences, tips?

[Stephen Leake]

mjsilva@my-deja.com writes:

> While we're waiting to see if we've made a convincing argument for
> using Ada in our industrial controller proposal I'm back to looking at
> compilers.  I've sent off info requests to all of the compiler vendors
> I could find, but I'd like to hear any experiences or info (positive or
> negative) with Ada toolsets regarding e.g. compiler quality, support,
> long-term commitment to Ada, etc.

I've been very happy with ACT support for GNAT, and with GNAT itself,
on a Windows NT target.

I've been very unhappy with Aonix support. The Aonix compiler is ok,
but not as good as GNAT. The Aonix debugger is much worse than gdb.

But I strongly suggest you pick a different host. Windows NT boxes
seem cheap, and are somewhat easy to administer. But they crash, and
tools don't work as well. Ask the Ada vendor what their prefered host
is, and get one of those. Then put Emacs on it, and you're all set.

-- 
-- Stephe

Re: Evaluating Ada compilers -- any experiences, tips?

[William J. Thomas]

We use the Aonix Raven Compiler at work, its hosted on NT and targeted to
the PowerPC. We originally had it running on a project using the 603
processor but another project using the PowerPC MPC555 just started up and
decided to use the compiler.

The project was up and running on the PowerPC MPC555 eval board with just a
couple of tweaks to the Board Specific packages. (The 555 does not have any
BAT registers so the Memory Management packages had to be touched and the
linker initialization had to be tweaked). Piece of Cake.

William J. Thomas