Re: What's stopping you from using Ada for your next commercial project?

[Gerd <GerdM.O@t-online.de>]

On 9 Mrz., 12:24, "Nasser M. Abbasi" <n...@12000.org> wrote:
> On 3/9/2011 2:39 AM, localh...@example.org wrote:
>
> >  And the Ada toolchains are not cheap.
>
> Could please expand on the above?
>
> Isn't Ada now part of gcc, which is free, like like g++ and
> all the other free development tools from gnu.
>
> If you want to buy a commercial C++ compiler, then
> are you saying that commercial Ada compilers are more
> expensive than the C++ ones?
>
> For me, a 'toolchain' means just a compiler, make, nice
> editor, and nice debugger would help also help. A GUI
> builder will also be good if I want to do GUI applications.
>
> --Nasser


I work at an enginnering company. We work for different customers, our
software team are 5 person.

1. If one uses GNAT GPL, he has to make his work GPLed. Our customers
wouldn't accept this.

2. Pricing for GNAT PRO would be to much for such a small development
team (I think they offer support for at leat 10 person teams). Our
customer will not pay more, only for the software to be written in
Ada.

3. Software development is not only done on Windows and Linux.

4. Ada is not available for many of the processors that are used in
embedded range (e.g. NEC 850, Infineon TriCore, or - still used - 8051/
HC11), and if there would be an Ada compiler (in fact a complete tool
chain is needed, including RT support for the bare board), then the
costs are far beyond of what would be acceptable (see Green Hills fo
example).

5. For a lot of projects not only a tool chain is needed, but a
"safety certified" tool chain is required.

6. If one project can be done in Ada, and ten others could not (due to
lack of tool support), then it is not economic to have two different
tool chains.

7. There is no experience how Ada would fit into the Autosar
architecture, that is used in automotive range.

8. Ada tools are not adopted to systems often used in embedded range
like Windows CE or OSEK.

Regards, Gerd

PS: Developers with Ada know-how are not a problem here.