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=-0.3 required=5.0 tests=BAYES_00, REPLYTO_WITHOUT_TO_CC autolearn=no autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 X-Google-Thread: 103376,de4046858a88bacb X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public,usenet X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit Path: g2news1.google.com!news2.google.com!border1.nntp.dca.giganews.com!nntp.giganews.com!newscon02.news.prodigy.net!prodigy.net!wn14feed!worldnet.att.net!bgtnsc04-news.ops.worldnet.att.net.POSTED!53ab2750!not-for-mail Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada From: anon@anon.org (anon) Subject: Re: Ada OS Reply-To: anon@anon.org (anon) References: <3c1ea5f7-586a-4101-81cd-857711c63042@d61g2000hsa.googlegroups.com> X-Newsreader: IBM NewsReader/2 2.0 Message-ID: Date: Fri, 23 Nov 2007 02:08:47 GMT NNTP-Posting-Host: 12.64.102.8 X-Complaints-To: abuse@worldnet.att.net X-Trace: bgtnsc04-news.ops.worldnet.att.net 1195783727 12.64.102.8 (Fri, 23 Nov 2007 02:08:47 GMT) NNTP-Posting-Date: Fri, 23 Nov 2007 02:08:47 GMT Organization: AT&T Worldnet Xref: g2news1.google.com comp.lang.ada:18576 Date: 2007-11-23T02:08:47+00:00 List-Id: The problem is the scope of the project. Most people who hear about an "Ada OS" they think it will be similar to "Microsoft Windows" or Mac, Linux, Posix, Unix design, that's a big job. The following will give you some idea, but know that I am skipping a lot of steps between each of the stages. Stage 0: A plan or purpose for the OS. Microsoft's or the Unix type of OS are a general purpose. But you can have specific version such as Real-Time OS. This needs to be written in detail before any other stages are started. And writing documentation is dull, most people stop before finishing this stage. NOTE: A simple design may take a week something like Windows design could take a year. NOTE: Where do you stop using Ada only coding and allow projects in other languages. Or do you. Stage 1: create a team of programmers. A simple kernel may require one programmer, but a DOS like OS will take a team of 10 to 25 programmers or more. Plus, some of these programmers may leave the project before the OS is created, so, you have to have others available. Then you have to deal with the in fighting. Most will want to create the kernel, but how many will want to create the first command line simple text editor like 'e' or a full blown 'vi'. Stage 2: Creating the kernel initially based on Stage 0 design. Plus, if the kernel is for multiple classes of cpus (IA_32, IA_32_64, IA_64, others) then you will need a kernel for each class. At the movement Ada does not contain conditional compiling statements. And I hope that it never does. NOTE: Now most Ada OS's stop here. That's because the author's reason for the OS is done or the author has no more time for their project. But the kernel is not an OS, it just the beginning or core of an OS. Stage 3: Is the Ada compiler and its libraries for this kernel. NOTE: Here also multiple compilers are needed because Ada does not have conditional compiling. STAGE NOTE: Starting with Stage Four the system should be hardware independent enough to allow standardize applications. Only need to compile source for each cpu class. Stage 4: OS support applications. Such as hardware configuration and simple command shell. These hardware applications, sets up the networks or Time and Date functions, etc. This also includes the File Systems support applications such as FDISK and FORMAT. Note: At this point the OS should have the functionability of a DOS. With one major application the Ada compiler system. Note: In today environment, DOS in not really useable. So, the OS will need a GUI, a browser for the internet, ect. Stage 5: GUI and the windows like applications. But this requires the kernel has some kind of graphic video driver for each type of video card supported. And the compiler having a graphics library packages. Note: Linux uses X-Windows, there are a couple of GUIs interfaces out there like KDE or GOME to name two. And these took years to write with each having their own applications. And each project is not finished either. And the list goes on! TIME TABLE: Except for the simple kernel which a single student programmer might write within a semester. Each Stage may require a year or more. So, an Ada only type of OS might be 5 years in the future. FINAL WORD: In 5 year, how many people will want to use Ada or an Ada OS. Plus, the time required for upgrading the system because of hardware. So, most programmer just do not want to spend that amount of time on a non-paying project that most people will never use. FINAL NOTE: Linux started off as a free replacement to the high dollar UNIX OS. That gave the initial programmers a reason to join and stay with the Linux team. Later came other reasons. FINAL NOTE: This is not all but it does give you an idea just how big this project is. In , Lucretia writes: >On Nov 22, 10:13 am, Peter Hermann >wrote: > >> >From: "Randy Brukardt" >> >Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada >> >Subject: Re: ada compiler? >> >Date: Fri, 16 Nov 2007 19:37:27 -0600 >> >able to make an OS mechanism work "right".. (My holy grail would be an >> >all-Ada system, but I realize that is not practical in the real world for >> >the vast majority of applications - including mine.) > >Thought it was this bit. I wonder why he thinks it's not all that >viable. > >Luke.