From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.5-pre1 (2020-06-20) on ip-172-31-74-118.ec2.internal X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=-1.9 required=3.0 tests=BAYES_00 autolearn=ham autolearn_force=no version=3.4.5-pre1 Date: 7 Jun 93 15:43:00 EST From: "Larry Keeler" Subject: RE: INFO-ADA Digest V93 #359 Message-ID: <9306072002.AA09811@ajpo.sei.cmu.edu> List-Id: In Message-ID: emery@mitre-bedford.arpa (David Emery) writes: >Much of the stuff you're asking for, particularly dealing with >directories, are not language issues, but operating system issues. >That's why there are C and Ada (and FORTRAN) bindings to POSIX. > >The POSIX/Ada binding covers both command line arguments and access to >directories, as well as a lot of other "unix-like" stuff. > >Look for some string handling packages from the Ada Technology >Insertion Program later this year (coming attractions...). > > dave Exactly! But the C (and coincidentally C++) bindings are so well integrated with the C language that many people do not realize when they are using o/s features vs language features, when they are programming in C. Such is not the case, and will not be the case (from what I heard at Tri-Ada92), when one wishe s to use Unix operating system features when programming in Ada. It is my under- standing that the Unix-C (C++) community has mandated that no POSIX bindings to any language other than C or C++ may be well integrated. No doubt this unannounced "mandate" has been of considerable commercial benefit to the C/C++ commercial community. Of course one would expect that Unix, written in C , would have an advantage, but many of the additional raodblocks which have been put up, regarding whether thick or thin bindings may be included in the standard, and what must be done to get it approved as a standard appear to be for other than techically sound reasons. (I have heard it suggested that Ada should have its own operating system, but I think that this would serve to isolate it still more.) For Ada to be more widely used it needs strong bindings to the operating system. Without them, congressional mandate or no, Ada is left out with the also rans.