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: 103376,630c12e823d1bdf4 X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public X-Google-ArrivalTime: 2003-01-15 05:32:47 PST Path: archiver1.google.com!news1.google.com!newsfeed.stanford.edu!cyclone.bc.net!sjc70.webusenet.com!news.webusenet.com!newsfeed2.earthlink.net!newsfeed.earthlink.net!stamper.news.pas.earthlink.net!stamper.news.atl.earthlink.net!harp.news.atl.earthlink.net!not-for-mail From: "Marin David Condic" Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada Subject: Re: Ada Compiler Pricing (was Re: Hijacking a Thread was RE: New Ada compiler for .NET) Date: Wed, 15 Jan 2003 08:26:49 -0500 Organization: MindSpring Enterprises Message-ID: References: <1040653133.613605@master.nyc.kbcfp.com> <3e18f3f3_1@news.tm.net.my> <6KwmrO7CZtnj@eisner.encompasserve.org> <1041910244.361888@master.nyc.kbcfp.com> <3E1E5604.5030209@nospam.adrianhoe.com> <3E1EA349.6B97C328@adaworks.com> <3E1F4B6D.A8D5172F@adaworks.com> <49BFB7592CBCCE76.BF5F1FAC531DF3EC.585B6F261FE1D006@lp.airnews.net> NNTP-Posting-Host: d1.56.b8.a5 X-Server-Date: 15 Jan 2003 13:27:37 GMT X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Newsreader: Microsoft Outlook Express 5.00.2314.1300 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V5.00.2314.1300 Xref: archiver1.google.com comp.lang.ada:33032 Date: 2003-01-15T13:27:37+00:00 List-Id: A commercial RTOS would most likely be doing a whole lot more than an Ada RTK, so a comparison would be unfair. An Ada RTK only needs to supply task scheduling, time and whatever low-level subprograms are needed to support compilation. *Maybe* I/O, but it is certainly not required. A commercial RTOS is probably supplying all sorts of device drivers and other I/O related things that are not needed for Ada support. Of course, there is nothing to stop one from using Ada on a commercial RTOS - except for possibly finding a compiler that targets the board & the RTOS - and getting it at a reasonable price - and feeling comfortable that it will actually work without too many serious bugs - and getting appropriate support tools that work with the compiler/RTOS/board/development platform - and not having to cobble all those things together on your own from bits & pieces downloaded from the internet - and getting support from a vendor so when the unforseen problems arise, there's someone knowledgeable around to bail your project out of the deep water - and getting your personnel trained up on Ada and flogged into using something they hate - and convincing your boss that it isn't going to add cost, time or risk to the project, but will instead bring about immense new profits. Did I miss anything? :-) Seriously, it really is pretty hard to get Ada into some embedded shop where it has not been used before and doesn't have a firm belief that it is going to do some significant good to make it worth the risks. Even if there isn't outright hostility to Ada, a lot of pieces have to be in place just to make the playing field equal and *still* there is risk with unproven technology, so there *must* be some significant perceived advantage. If Ada wants to worm its way into embedded computing and come out with a ranking above "other" in the "Language Of Choice" surveys, a *lot* of work would have to be done. MDC -- ====================================================================== Marin David Condic I work for: http://www.belcan.com/ My project is: http://www.jast.mil/ Send Replies To: m c o n d i c @ a c m . o r g "I'd trade it all for just a little more" -- Charles Montgomery Burns, [4F10] ====================================================================== John R. Strohm wrote in message news:49BFB7592CBCCE76.BF5F1FAC531DF3EC.585B6F261FE1D006@lp.airnews.net... > > Back when I was doing Ada, on whatever platform, the runtime was part of the > total Ada toolset package. It came already integrated with the rest of the > toolkit. The customer normally had to write a board support package to > integrate the runtime with the peculiar target hardware, but you have to do > that with EVERY executive (unless your hardware is COMPLETELY > off-the-shelf - very rare in military embedded systems - and the vendor > already supplied you a HIGH-QUALITY BSP to go with your boards - also very > rare in embedded systems). > > And, for the record, a competently-written Ada runtime fits in about 4K. > (4K bytes on a byte machine, 4K words on a word machine, 4K whatever on a > whatever machine.) (Ichbiah made that statement in an Ada training video I > saw back in about 1990 or 1991. I checked it for the TI 320C30 Ada toolset > from Tartan Labs, and it was dead on target.) > > I don't know how much VxWorks or LynxOS takes. Anyone have the numbers > handy? > > >