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

[KK6GM <mjsilva@scriptoriumdesigns.com>]

On Mar 11, 6:01 am, Rego <pvrego.li...@gmail.com> wrote:
> > One big problem, IMO, is that it seems to be almost impossible for
> > engineers to actually play with Ada (including its all-important
> > tasking and realtime features) on simple embedded hardware.  If you
> > could send them home with an under-$200 embedded board (like, say,
> > this one for $12:http://www.st.com/internet/evalboard/product/250863.jsp)
> > and some free plug-and-play tools (limited would be fine), then they
> > could actually get a feel for the benefits of Ada on their own.  Some,
> > at least (the clear-thinking ones?) would then become interested in
> > championing Ada in the workplace.  But if the engineers can't get
> > their hands on it in a low-cost exploratory fashion, why would they
> > champion it?
>
> Disagree. Almost all RT commercial boards come with full documentation for clients, in which you can develop you own drivers for it in any language. Just for curiosity (and sure motivated by the "almost impossible for engineers") I looked into the site you sent and there is these docs and several examples in C which you can bind with Ada or write your pure Ada plugins or even start from zero from specs (which are very detailed in the site's pdfs). Furthermore, it is exactly what it's done when we need to integrate a new equipment to main computer or other device, or when we need to develop new BSPs. In several cases you can contact the manufacturer for providing more detailed board specs.
> This is not a simple task in any language, but surely is not an Ada issue.

Are you saying that a relative newcomer to Ada can take a board out of
its shipping box in the early evening and be running Ada code
(including tasking - Ravenscar would be fine - and realtime features)
by later that evening?  I'd sure like to discover the board and
toolset that allows this, because I'll buy one today.  I know this is
possible with at least one C/C++ toolset (Rowley Crossworks with its
included tasking library) because I have done it.