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=-0.6 required=5.0 tests=BAYES_00,UNRESOLVED_TEMPLATE autolearn=no autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit X-Google-Thread: 103376,47c31ee2e50a590c X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public From: CONDIC@PSAVAX.PWFL.COM Subject: Re: Ada saved by gnat (was Re: Where's Aetech?) Date: 1995/04/21 Message-ID: X-Deja-AN: 101370101 sender: Ada programming language comments: Gated by NETNEWS@AUVM.AMERICAN.EDU newsgroups: comp.lang.ada Date: 1995-04-21T00:00:00+00:00 List-Id: From: Marin David Condic, 407.796.8997, M/S 731-93 Subject: Re: Ada saved by gnat (was Re: Where's Aetech?) Original_To: PROFS%"SMTP@PWAGPDB" Original_cc: CONDIC David Weller writes: > >the last year (hmm, I guess I just did :-). Many of those people >have picked up GNAT and were able to explore Ada without the >slightest financial committment. And, yes, they knew they were >getting what they were paying for :-) Also, GNAT has given me > David: I personally think that GNAT may do a lot to help "bootstrap" Ada95 usage, but I think it's important to point out that it isn't real likely to cut into the commercial vendor's business - at least with respect to major software development efforts for critical products. It also isn't going to guarantee the long term success of Ada95 - so it's no panacea. Could you imagine persuading the Air Force to commit themselves to flight-certifying software or risking expensive payloads on a compiler that someone downloaded from the Internet and has no "corporate" support behind it? (Maybe in "the olden days" but not likely today!) Our customers *know* we need a vendor behind us as part of "the team" who is going to provide bug fixes, tools, customizations, etc. And even for "non-critical" applications, I would think that most intelligent developers would want a company behind their compiler who would provide them with telephone support, a commitment to continued growth of the product, related tools, etc. "Free" might be nice when you're just playing games, but when your business depends on long term commitments to the tools you use, "free" can get pretty costly! (O.K.! Not all things worth doing are worth doing well. I'm talking about software development that represents a significant investment in time, money & expected lifespan.) In other words - it's probably good that GNAT is out there as a learning tool, but I can't see it as a substitute for a good quality commercial product with lots of support software bundled around it and an "800" number to call when the software doesn't work as expected. Hence, it's probably not much of a threat to commercial vendors and if they see it that way, then they aren't looking at the value they should be adding to the product. As for cost? I still believe that if Ada95 is going to get anywhere, there needs to be a shrink-wrapped product at CompUSA with manuals, bindings, support tools, etc for popular home computers at somewhere between $200 and $400. (Best bet, is to get the base product under $200 and don't wuss out on the support!) If someone were to take GNAT and build such a product out of it, you'd stand a good chance of making it successful. The only sympathy I'll give to compiler vendors who charge five figures or more for their tools is when you start looking at target hardware that is extremely esoteric and have lots of requirements for customizations to the product. If there are only twelve "Gazorenthorpe Microprocessors" sold per year - but you absolutely have to have them because of the specialized nature of the product - *no* compiler is going to be cheap. (Maybe this is where Ada suffers from it's military roots? How many ATF's are we going to sell? How many "specialized" processors are in one of these? How many compilers does that mean we're going to buy?) (Oh. And before someone jumps up and says "You ought to be using COTS processors on this sort of stuff" I'll answer with this challenge: Show me a Mil packaged, rad hard, at-or-near 100% testable, space-proven, COTS processor - complete with ICE-boxes, logic analyzers, etc., that I can buy at Radio Shack for under $50.00 and I'll buy you dinner at the restaurant of your choice here in West Palm Beach.) Pax, Marin Marin David Condic, Senior Computer Engineer ATT: 407.796.8997 M/S 731-93 Technet: 796.8997 Pratt & Whitney, GESP Internet: CONDICMA@PWFL.COM P.O. Box 109600 Internet: MDCONDIC@AOL.COM West Palm Beach, FL 33410-9600 =============================================================================== Please send responses to one of the addresses in this trailer. A "reply" to the address in the message header will bounce. =============================================================================== "The cost of living has just gone up another dollar a quart." -- W. C. Fields ===============================================================================