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,ac55ec18f7b0a53c X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public X-Google-ArrivalTime: 2001-06-05 06:55:21 PST Path: archiver1.google.com!newsfeed.google.com!newsfeed.stanford.edu!news-spur1.maxwell.syr.edu!news.maxwell.syr.edu!newsfeed.icl.net!isdnet!psinet-france!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 and embedded applications Date: Tue, 5 Jun 2001 09:38:03 -0400 Organization: Posted on a server owned by Pace Micro Technology plc Message-ID: <9finbs$2ft$1@nh.pace.co.uk> References: <9fh0v9$dob$1@nh.pace.co.uk> NNTP-Posting-Host: 136.170.200.133 X-Trace: nh.pace.co.uk 991748284 2557 136.170.200.133 (5 Jun 2001 13:38:04 GMT) X-Complaints-To: newsmaster@pace.co.uk NNTP-Posting-Date: 5 Jun 2001 13:38:04 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: archiver1.google.com comp.lang.ada:8153 Date: 2001-06-05T13:38:04+00:00 List-Id: I wouldn't say that it is *impossible* to get an Ada program into 512 bytes of memory, but you'd have to have a compiler that made it possible to build code with no runtime (like GNORT) or you might find yourself dragging along way too much other stuff. Technically speaking, I don't think this is a *language* problem - more one of a *linkage* problem. There may be some language issues such as this: I write a single procedure to run in my 512 bytes of memory. Will Ada demand that there be some kind of elaboration/initialization/finalization that takes place such that I've got to drag along more stuff than I need? Could a compiler be built (and would it be *legal* Ada or a subset?) that was smart enough to detect that my single procedure program required nothing but jumping to the starting address and executing from there? I'd suspect thjat the answer is "Yes, but it may require bending language rules and will certainly require you don't use specific features." Naturally, you couldn't use the whole of the Ada language in a setting like that, which raises issues of validation. It may be possible to target Ada for that sort of microcontroller, but it doesn't seem to be high on anybody's priority list. Possibly it is viewed as a) too difficult to accomplish in a reasonable span of time and b) too little interest on the part of the folks who program these things to make it worth investing the energy in it. 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/ wrote in message news:akXS6.63509$%i7.48165181@news1.rdc1.sfba.home.com... > >that may not offer much support for them. (Floating point? Context switching > >for tasks? Lots of things get to be a problem on small chips.) C, lacking > I used to regularly compile and run Ada 83 programs in 16 bit DOS on > a 286, often generating a small memory model (64K) .com file. But I grant > that's gigantic compared to 512 bytes of RAM.