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=-0.4 required=5.0 tests=AC_FROM_MANY_DOTS,BAYES_00 autolearn=no autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit X-Google-Thread: 103376,da46977c58c329df X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public X-Google-ArrivalTime: 2002-01-31 13:09:09 PST Path: archiver1.google.com!news1.google.com!newsfeed.stanford.edu!newsfeeds.belnet.be!news.belnet.be!newsgate.cistron.nl!psiuk-p2!psiuk-p3!uknet!psiuk-n!news.pace.co.uk!nh.pace.co.uk!not-for-mail From: "Marin David Condic" Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada Subject: Re: Ada's Slide To Oblivion ... Date: Thu, 31 Jan 2002 14:42:42 -0500 Organization: Posted on a server owned by Pace Micro Technology plc Message-ID: References: <3C58AE09.7070503@worldnet.att.net> <3C598CBD.71740E0D@gbr.msd.ray.com> NNTP-Posting-Host: dhcp-200-133.miami.pace.co.uk X-Trace: nh.pace.co.uk 1012506165 14657 136.170.200.133 (31 Jan 2002 19:42:45 GMT) X-Complaints-To: newsmaster@news.cam.pace.co.uk NNTP-Posting-Date: 31 Jan 2002 19:42:45 GMT X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Newsreader: Microsoft Outlook Express 5.50.4522.1200 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V5.50.4522.1200 Xref: archiver1.google.com comp.lang.ada:19443 Date: 2002-01-31T19:42:45+00:00 List-Id: "Steve O'Neill" wrote in message news:3C598CBD.71740E0D@gbr.msd.ray.com... > > Yes, that would improve the situation immensely. People might actually > consider > Ada is they were handed the tools along with the hardware. Of course, > many of > those folks would simply dismiss it out of hand but the more open-minded > folks > might actually try it... and like it. > I could imagine a situation that looked a little like this: Find a vendor of a family of SBCs that is using a gcc compiler already. Look over their development kit to be familiar with their tools, etc., and discover if there were any reasons to believe that it wouldn't work with GNAT. Work with the vendor to make a port of GNAT that targeted their machine and still supported C & C++ and whatever other front-ends they might want to offer. It ought to then be a matter of unplugging the gcc they are normally shipping and plugging in the GNAT you want them to use. I couldn't tell you what sort of arrangements are common with the SBC manufacturers and their potential suppliers, but I would imagine that it would be to their advantage to be able to say "Hey! Pick our board and you can use C, C++ Fortran, Pascal, Cobol or Ada to write your embedded system in!!!" They might be willing to go to a third party supplier to get that work done - I bet a number of them already have arrangements with Cygnus. It might be possible for a garage operation to get something started that aimed at the niche of mixing and matching existing gcc front/back ends. Hmmmmmmmm....... :-) > > Well.. how do we fix this? Probably the first steps are to 1) assemble > the tools/ > components necessary to support a family of SBCs and 2) convince the SBC > vendors to > 'toss it in the box'. To have any hope step #2 would have to be at > worst free to > the vendors. > Not necessarily. You might be able to front-load the deal or back-load the deal. They might already be paying for compiler support. (Either they do it themselves - and it costs money, or they get someone else to do it - and it costs money.) They might be willing to provide a percentage deal on every development kit they sell. Remember, they are primarily *hardware* vendors who want to sell a million SBCs to be installed in every refrigerator or auto some manufacturer makes. They do the software because they have to in order to sell the hardware, but it isn't what drives their business. I'd suggest that the place to start is as I described above - find one or more SBCs that use a gcc based environment and see how hard it would be to plug GNAT into it. If the SBC didn't cost much and a student could download an Ada solution, it might find some followers. > > > Spending weeks or months getting a development environment together > > when one already comes with the kit is a waste of the stockholder's money. > > Not to mention usually thankless work. > Yup. And if a business can't see some way that it ends up making them money, you'll end up doing it on the weekends and evenings. MDC -- Marin David Condic Senior Software Engineer Pace Micro Technology Americas www.pacemicro.com Enabling the digital revolution e-Mail: marin.condic@pacemicro.com Web: http://www.mcondic.com/