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From: "(No Name)" <HARBAUGH@ROO.FIT.EDU>
Subject: Re: Windows and Ada
Date: 1995/04/01
Message-ID: <INFO-ADA%95040108211198@VM1.NODAK.EDU>#1/1
X-Deja-AN: 100649456
sender: Ada programming language <INFO-ADA%NDSUVM1.BITNET@pucc.PRINCETON.EDU>
comments: RFC822 error: <W> Incorrect or incomplete address field found and
newsgroups: comp.lang.ada
Date: 1995-04-01T00:00:00+00:00
List-Id: <comp.lang.ada>

Cameron writes:
I was going to try some windows programing in Ada and was
wondering what the best way to go about it was. i.e.

 - Are there libraries available.  Do I have to call the Windows
API?

 - Should I write the windows stuff in Visual Basic and then link
to a VBX library?

- other options?

Is there anyone with any experience out there who could point me
in the right direction?

I have a Meridian compiler for DOS(4.???), are there any compilers that
run under windows?
-------
  My advice is to carefully track Windows 95 before committing
to any plan.
  Subscribe to WinNEws winnews@microsoft.nwnet.com
  Roam their home page and drill down. I believe its
www.microsoft.com.
  Order a pre-release Windows 95 $32.00, only a few left.
  If you are creating a product then request a Windows 95
logo certification package to find out all the technical,
procedural and business rules.
  Then contact all of your suppliers, language tool vendors,
installer tools, libraries etc. and ask them for a committment
to Windows 95.  This would include the Ada compiler vendors
of course.
  It is my opinion that if you don't do this you will have a
product, perhaps written in Ada, that will be self-satisfying
_BUT_ will be an orphan this fall (in the northern hemisphere and
this spring in the southern hemisphere :-)  ).
  Some technical things I recall are:
You must have true 32 bit code.
You must have an installer AND uninstaller.
You must support long filenames.
There are a few others I don't understand.

Don't pick a programming language - pick a language tools vendor
else you risk being unable to have a Win 95 certified product.
Oh yes, certification testing fee is $600 for software, $200
for each retry.

  I think it will be worth the initial grief.  I look forward to
the plug and play environment.  The PC will finally be up to
Macintosh standards and s/w vendors can develop with confidence
that the end user can plug and play certified h/w and s/w.  Your
tech support costs should go WAY down.

p.s. If your Ada compiler supports only short filenames AND
you want to use long filenames we put a package called
Universal FileNames (UFN) in the STARS repository about 5
years ago.

sam harbaugh
integrated software inc.
palm bay, florida
---