Re: An Ada IDE and discussions

["chris.danx" <chris.danx@ntlworld.com>]

> > That's not what Steve(?) said at all.  "an IDE for Windows" is not saying
all
> > users are Windows users, it's an IDE for Windows users.
> >
> > If ppl want Ada to become popular, you have to appeal to the biggest
potential
> > user base, which is the Windows platform.  However much some of you may
dislike
> > the OS, it is the domininant OS and there is no denying it.
>
> You are right, but keep it potable between platforms e.g. GTK for
> Linux.

That means there can be no use of GWindows and using GTK/Ada instead.  I might
consider that, but I'm not familiar with Gtk at all, and it needs to support
accelerator keys, make plugins possible, allow dynamic menus, allow custom
controls to be created, and more.  Also is Gtk not scripted, slowing the whole
thing down?


> > I'm doing this IDE because
> >
> > a) I (and others) need compiler configurability
>
> Why, most of the commercial compilers include an IDE. The times are long a
> go, that a compiler was just an CLI issue.  Only the GNAT is not cleanly
integrated
>
> into an IDE (except for GLIDE which i dont like)

My thought isn't that it should deal exclusively with Ada (only in the
beginning) but should allow a programmer to use other languages and tools from
within the IDE, link it all together, debug it, etc.  Maybe never needing to
leave the environment to completely build the program.  However I'd be happy if
it handled different Ada compilers seamlessly.



> > d) It's a project I can do
>
> I you start such a project i like to work on this issue as well. Did you
already
> thought about a home site for the project? May be sourceforge.net is a
> good location.

Even a little help would be great, but if not then that's ok, i'm prepared for
the level of work and can handle it.

I don't have a home site yet, and only a little code.  Most of what I've done in
the last few days has been to design a minimal IDE that will make up the first
prototype.  The prototype isn't a release, just an experiment in compiler
configuration.  There is to be no Syntax Highlighting and minimal features in
the 1st prototype.


> > e) I'll learn from it.
>
> This is for sure. May be it should not be written in Ada at all, may be in
Java?

Away you and ... The ide's written in Java I've used have been really slow and
had patchy graphics, well just crap and that was with JIT on.

{ If anyones looking for a fast cross platform technology check out Juice (it's
really fast, whips JVM), the only drawback is they didn't do much with it and
it's not well known (and needs patience and commitment); I say someone should
get an Ada compiler for it.  Then Juice and Ada would blow Java out the water,
well out of the fabric of space and time actually.

The ppl who developed it made the mistake of tying development to the Oberon
Environment, but it can run in diff browsers and all that's needed is a stand
alone version, so you can run and develop apps!  It's a real nice fast system
that could make Sun (and .NET) needing Cocodamol.
 }



Chris