Free Optimizing Ada Compiler

[srctran@world.std.com (Gregory Aharonian)]

	One of the best optimizing C and C++ compilers is provided at no
charge by the Free Software Foundation (Cambridge, MA). Their compiler is as
good as most workstation vendors' compilers, targets many platforms, is
available at no cost, and is provided with the source code. Their compiler
is so good that many companies producing software products for the Unix
and workstation environments use the FSF compiler.
	This rather good, free compiler is the result of a basically
volunteer effort of people interested in promoting software in a very
sharing manner. They are also providing source code to an entire operating
system Unix-clone, the Emacs editors, Unix shell tools, a spreadsheet and
other software tools.
	(The rest of this message doesn't deal with the issue that all of
this programming is being done in C and C++).

	It seems to me that if the Ada community was really interested in
spreading Ada as much as possible, that someone (i.e. DOD) could shake loose
about a half million dollars, and give it to the Free Software Foundation
people to develop an Ada front end for their compiler technology. Actually
I think that the FSF people have someone looking into to this. In this way
the world would end up with a nice Ada compiler provided in source code
form at no charge.
	Such a compiler could be given to universities to encourage them
to teach Ada (many are already using the FSF C and C++ compilers), without
draining their limited budgets. Also it would encourage other members of
the FSF community to develop Ada tools that work with the compiler.
	Thus is people really want an excellent, shareware Ada compiler,
form a committee to lobby the DoD to fund the FSF. The capability is there,
the money is certainly there. All that is needed is the commitment.

Greg Aharonian
Source Translation & Optimization