? A 'pocket' Ada please?

? A 'pocket' Ada please?

[Alexander Yakovlev]

Could someone plese give me a pointer to a small 16-bit DOS
implementation of Ada (I have seen an ancient Artek Ada 1.25--is there
any shareware/freeware/commercial package like that available anywhere?)
I have programmed in many languages but now need to couch myself
in Ada to get a job. The problem is that the installed PC base
in the sector I work in are mostly humble 286s and XTs. 
Does anyone know of a new Artek implementation, or could anyone
put me in contact with someone who knows?

Lotsa thanks in advance.

Alexander Yakovlev

Re: ? A 'pocket' Ada please?

[John Herro]

Alexander Yakovlev <ayakv@glas.apc.org> writes:
> Could someone plese give me a pointer to a
> small 16-bit DOS implementation of Ada (I
> have seen an ancient Artek Ada ... )?

Much better than Artek Ada is the once-validated Meridian Open Ada (83),
now available from D.C. Heath in Indianapolis, 800-334-3284.  I've used it
on a pocket computer with a 2MB SRAM card configured as a disk drive,
and *no* real disk drives, floppy or otherwise!  It runs great on a 7MHz
8086/8088.

Artek Ada was a subset (never validated), and it had bugs, especially in
the Native Code Translator.  Although I produced the very first version of
my Ada Tutor program with it, I gave up on Artek Ada a long time ago.

R.R. Software's (800-722-3248) Janus Ada for DOS also runs great on
an XT, but I don't know if it's still available.

- John Herro
Software Innovations Technology
http://members.aol.com/AdaTutor
ftp://members.aol.com/AdaTutor

Re: ? A 'pocket' Ada please?

[Prof. Dr. Andreas Solymosi]

John Herro wrote:
> 
> Alexander Yakovlev <ayakv@glas.apc.org> writes:
> > Could someone plese give me a pointer to a
> > small 16-bit DOS implementation of Ada (I
> > have seen an ancient Artek Ada ... )?
> 
> Much better than Artek Ada is the once-validated Meridian Open Ada (83),
> now available from D.C. Heath in Indianapolis, 800-334-3284.  I've used it
> on a pocket computer with a 2MB SRAM card configured as a disk drive,
> and *no* real disk drives, floppy or otherwise!  It runs great on a 7MHz
> 8086/8088.
We (our students) have been using Meridian's Open Ada for years even on
8086 and DOS 3.1 machines (640 K) - however only for educational
purposes. We were pleased with it.

Re: ? A 'pocket' Ada please?

[Jeff Carter]

John Herro wrote:
> 
> Alexander Yakovlev <ayakv@glas.apc.org> writes:
> > Could someone plese give me a pointer to a
> > small 16-bit DOS implementation of Ada (I
> > have seen an ancient Artek Ada ... )?
> 
> Much better than Artek Ada is the once-validated Meridian Open Ada (83),
> now available from D.C. Heath in Indianapolis, 800-334-3284.  I've used it
> on a pocket computer with a 2MB SRAM card configured as a disk drive,
> and *no* real disk drives, floppy or otherwise!  It runs great on a 7MHz
> 8086/8088.
> 
> Artek Ada was a subset (never validated), and it had bugs, especially in
> the Native Code Translator.  Although I produced the very first version of
> my Ada Tutor program with it, I gave up on Artek Ada a long time ago.
> 
> R.R. Software's (800-722-3248) Janus Ada for DOS also runs great on
> an XT, but I don't know if it's still available.
> 
> - John Herro
> Software Innovations Technology
> http://members.aol.com/AdaTutor
> ftp://members.aol.com/AdaTutor

Note, though, that both of these are Ada-83 compilers. The poster asked
for "Ada", which, as we all know, refers to the current standard, Ada
95. I'm unaware of any such beast.
-- 
Jeff Carter  PGP:1024/440FBE21
Auntie-spam reply-to; try ( carter @ innocon . com )
"Now go away, or I shall taunt you a second time."
Monty Python & the Holy Grail

Re: ? A 'pocket' Ada please?

[Robert Dewar]

Alexander asks

<<Could someone plese give me a pointer to a small 16-bit DOS
implementation of Ada (I have seen an ancient Artek Ada 1.25--is there
any shareware/freeware/commercial package like that available anywhere?)
I have programmed in many languages but now need to couch myself
in Ada to get a job. The problem is that the installed PC base
in the sector I work in are mostly humble 286s and XTs.
Does anyone know of a new Artek implementation, or could anyone
put me in contact with someone who knows?>>

There are no shareware/freeware 286 compilers. There are some commercial
compilers that you might be able to dig up, but as soon as you start
talking about paying $$$ for a compiler, you will probably do better
to spend the $$$ on a 386 machine (minimally), and run GNAT.

XT's are perhaps worth $20 for the parts these days, and 286 machines
perhaps $50. You should be able to pick up a 386 based machine for
less than $200 in a configuration that would minimally support GNAT,
and for perhaps $400 you should be able to get a brand new 486
machine that would adequately support GNAT.

Note that this approach has the advantage that you will be learning
the current version of Ada, rather than the obsolete Ada 83 version
(no Ada 95 compiler is currently available for 286 based machines).