Re: Ada and Automotive Industry

[Richard Riehle <rriehle@nunic.nu.edu>]

On 11 Nov 1996, Frank Manning wrote:

> In article <1996Nov6.210957.3070@ole.cdac.com> James Thiele
> <james@cdac.com>
> 
> > I've never seen Ada for Intel 8051 or Motorola 6800
> > series microcontrollers, and these are common in the
> > auto industry.
> >    [...]
> > Why should they appreciate a bloated language that requires
> > them to hire new or retrain old programmers to write
> > programs that won't fit on the microcontrollers they use?

    I continue to be a staunch supporter of Ada, but I see no
    justification for Ada on the I8051.  This view is not based
    simply on the fact that it is an eight-bit processor. Rather,
    it is based on the unique architecture of that machine. 

    I would like to think I am wrong about this. But it will take
    someone who knows both Ada and the 8051 architecture well to
    persuade me that I am.  

    On the other hand, more conventional eight-bit architectures,
    might be quite well suited to a restricted Ada subset.

> >    So anyone who wants to retarget the GNAT compiler to an 8-bit
> > environment go ahead.  Validation should not be even your tenth
> > biggest worry.
  
    I rather doubt that GNAT is portable to the 8051. Would be quite
    a challenge. And, once again, I'd love to be proven wrong by having
    someone actually do it.  And blustering protests such as, "It is
    just plain silly to suggest it could not be done," will not be
    especially persuavive, or even relevant. Please, make me wrong
    by doing it.  If you do, I will be one happy camper.  Meanwhile,
    I reamain skeptical.

> In article <4920s0$kqd@felix.seas.gwu.edu>
> mfeldman@seas.gwu.edu (Michael Feldman) writes:
> 
> >     [...]
> >
> > (1) it is premature to write off the potential for an Ada/8051;
> >
> > (2) some of the complaints about Ada being "too big" for the 8051
> >     may well be made out of ignorance of the possibilities;
> >
> > (3) a GCC target and a port of the GNAT runtime is the way to go.

   Michael,

   It is not a matter of too big.  It is a matter of architecture, the
   probability that there is no GCC for 8051 (I know of none), and a
   myriad of other little details.  Take a hard look at the 8051
   architecture, write a simple little program, and then let me know
   what you think.

   Once again, I hope I am totally in the weeds on this one. I hope I am
   so wrong you will be able to gleefully rub my nose in it for a long
   time.  Let me assure you, though, that this will not be easy.

   Richard Riehle