Re: floating point problem

[dewar@merv.cs.nyu.edu (Robert Dewar)]

Larry says

<<> Larry says
>
> <<Is this GNAT limitation only for programs which use floating point>>
>
> Yes, but you have to take into account the WHOLE program, including
> bodies of library units. For example, fixed_io uses floating-point.

Are other such examples which might not be obvious documented,
or would one have to study the compiler source ?>>


The GNAT limitation is that it only supports x86 environments in which
full floating-point support is available, either at the hardware level
or through transparent emulation. If you run GNAT on a machine without
such support, somethings will work and somethings will not work. No,
there is no documentation as to what will work, the official position
is that nothing will work. Even scanning the whole sources is not enough,
since a new version of the compiler might use floating-point where it has
not been used before!

GNAT is not suitable for supporting x86 processors with no floating-point
support. If people want to use it in such environments, they are, as far
as we are concerned, misusing it, and it is up to them to deal with any
problems that arise from such misuse.