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=-1.3 required=5.0 tests=BAYES_00,INVALID_MSGID autolearn=no autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit X-Google-Thread: 100159,7efe49a1678baeac X-Google-Attributes: gid100159,public X-Google-Thread: 103376,7efe49a1678baeac X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public From: "David C. Hoos, Sr." Subject: Re: SGI Developer Magic - Ada95 Date: 1998/07/14 Message-ID: #1/1 X-Deja-AN: 371549653 References: <35ABDCDF.7B8F@cae.ca> Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada,comp.sys.sgi.misc X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V4.72.3110.3 Date: 1998-07-14T00:00:00+00:00 List-Id: Viqar Abbasi wrote in message <35ABDCDF.7B8F@cae.ca>... >Has anyone out there used the "SGI Developer Magic ProDev Ada95" >compiler? > >The information provided on the SGI website >(http://www.sgi.com/Products/DevMagic/products/project_ada95.html) >seems to indicate that its the tool for the task at hand. > >The task at hand is to incorporate Ada into large infrastructure >based in C and Fortran, on the SGI Irix platform. I want to >call the Ada from C and Fortran, without any limitations. >The Verdix compiler we have now doesn't allow "in out" parameters >in procedures.. just "out" parameters. Also, we're able to link >and run basic programs in GNAT... but have been having other >problems with newer versions of GNAT. The last stable version >seems to be 3.09. Therefore, we're a bit GNAT-wary. > >We don't need all the graphical-debugger and fancy stuff like >that provided by SGI. We just want a stable, robust Ada compiler, >which produces object files we can link in with our existing software. >Is SGI Ada95 the answer? SGI Ada95 id gnat-based. A year-and-a-half ago, I began a substantial project with SGI Version 1.2 which was (if memory serves me correctly) gnat 3.07-based, and later I upgraded with a patch provided on the SGI web site which upgraded to gnat 3.09. SGI provides some libraies -- e.g., a Posix binding based on the now-obsolete forest -- which are not part of the public gnat releases. SGI Version 1.3 is now in beta, but since I have been involved in a Solaris project for several months, I haven't looked at 1.3 yet, so don't know on which gnat version it's based. On another SGI project with which I am involved we had been using the latest public release (3.10), but because we needed some problems fixed we purchased a support contract, and have been using "wavefront" releases of 3.11. The thing which was particularly attractive to us in January 1997 about the SGI version 1.2 was the GUI-based debugger which was much superior to the Ada-aware GDB available at that time. Also, debugging of tasks was made easier by the sproc-based tasking model, and I imagine that SGI was able to leverage sproc-based thread debugging for other languages in implementing the Ada debugger. With regard to your comment about the Verdix limitation on procedure parameter types -- I believe you're talking about procedures implemented by means of pragma Interface or exported to be called by other languages by means of pragma Export. I seem to remember the limitation, and I know we worked around it, but I don't rememeber the details. My own experience (for what it's worth) is that the gnat product is as good as anything else out there (and better in many respects). I don't feel you'll find better support than what you can get from a gnat support contract. I still have some outstanding unfixed Verdix bugs which go back four years. I hope this helps. David C. Hoos, Sr.