From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.4 (2020-01-24) on polar.synack.me X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=-0.4 required=5.0 tests=AC_FROM_MANY_DOTS,BAYES_00 autolearn=no autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit X-Google-Thread: 103376,1d52a75fd633fefc X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public X-Google-ArrivalTime: 2001-02-16 07:45:28 PST Path: supernews.google.com!sn-xit-02!sn-xit-03!supernews.com!cyclone-sf.pbi.net!63.208.208.143!feed2.onemain.com!feed1.onemain.com!newsfeed.icl.net!nntp.news.xara.net!xara.net!gxn.net!news.lattis.xara.net!psiuk-f4!psiuk-p4!uknet!psiuk-n!news.pace.co.uk!nh.pace.co.uk!not-for-mail From: "Marin David Condic" Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada Subject: Re: Ada to C++ translator? Date: Fri, 16 Feb 2001 10:20:30 -0500 Organization: Posted on a server owned by Pace Micro Technology plc Message-ID: <96jghv$ii9$1@nh.pace.co.uk> References: <3A8C6843.B46006D6@lmco.com> <3A8CB3BE.B4DAB0BE@ix.netcom.com> NNTP-Posting-Host: 136.170.200.133 X-Trace: nh.pace.co.uk 982336895 19017 136.170.200.133 (16 Feb 2001 15:21:35 GMT) X-Complaints-To: newsmaster@pace.co.uk NNTP-Posting-Date: 16 Feb 2001 15:21:35 GMT X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Newsreader: Microsoft Outlook Express 5.50.4522.1200 X-Mimeole: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V5.50.4522.1200 Xref: supernews.google.com comp.lang.ada:5304 Date: 2001-02-16T15:21:35+00:00 List-Id: "Lao Xiao Hai" wrote in message news:3A8CB3BE.B4DAB0BE@ix.netcom.com... > With the abrogation of the Ada "mandate" there are quite a few of these > unsupported > platforms for Ada 95. Since the DoD contractor is not required to use Ada, > they > have no incentive to purchase a compiler. Since they have not incentive to > purchase > a compiler, the compiler publisher has no incentive to produce a compiler. > This is > especially true for those small, seldom used platforms that are so specialized > that the > market is lean for them. We have a lot of specialized military computers > still in > service (and being upgraded) for which is little likelihood of there ever > being an > Ada 95 compiler. There ought to be since these are often safety-critical. > However, > many DoD program managers have concluded that Ada is no longer relevant. > With > this kind of stupidity on the increase, compiler publishers are forced to take > the path of > best ROI. > There is definitely a "Catch 22" situation with Ada compilers in this and other areas. It's tough to generate the critical mass needed to make Ada more popular - especially in the embedded world where there is such a big dependency on tools other than the compiler. One thing that might help considerably would be to get Ada front-ends onto more of the embedded compilers already available. For example, there are lots of embedded projects that are using the gcc compiler in some manner. Last I checked the web site (http://www.gnu.org/software/gcc/gcc.html) for gcc, they were claiming 6 language front ends built into the compiler. (O.K. 3 of them are C derivatives.) Ada, Pascal, Cobol, et alia are mentioned, but are not part of the release. It seems to me that if Ada were part of the standard gcc release, then at least there is the possibility of a project that uses gcc to find a way to utilize Ada. Maybe one day "Real Soon Now" this will happen. Until it does, it becomes very hard for embedded projects to consider Ada if/when some part of the target environment changes and there is no Ada toolset available to do the job. (And I'm terribly sorry to inform the vendors that we just can't afford to pay them to rewrite their compilers & toolsets if there is a less expensive option open to us. :-) BTW: Green Hills (http://www.ghs.com/products.html) mentions they have products for C/C++ and Ada development for embedded targets so there is a choice for some platforms. Why the number of Ada targets is less than the number of C/C++ targets, I do not know. It would seem that if the compiler front-end & intermediate code supports Ada, that all the same targets should work for either language. (Maybe it is the RTK or RTOS?) IMHO, a proliferation of Ada front-ends would go a long way to gaining that critical mass. Availability is a necessary (but not sufficient) condition for success. MDC -- Marin David Condic Senior Software Engineer Pace Micro Technology Americas www.pacemicro.com Enabling the digital revolution e-Mail: marin.condic@pacemicro.com Web: http://www.mcondic.com/