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From: dewar@merv.cs.nyu.edu (Robert Dewar)
Subject: Re: ADA on the super
Date: 1998/04/19
Message-ID: <dewar.893037728@merv>#1/1
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References: <6h7v0c$r68$1@bambi.zdv.Uni-Mainz.DE> <dewar.892872366@merv>
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Newsgroups: comp.sys.super,comp.parallel.mpi,comp.lang.ada
Date: 1998-04-19T00:00:00+00:00
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<<Yes, Robert I agree, but even the Free Software Foundation, doesn't
dare to call it more than a "translator" (see bulletin).
It at least shares the back end of GCC, which isn't famous for its
optimization. To say it clearly, it's strictly for the birds.
>>

Of course it is a translator! It translates from Ada to machine language. But
in no sense is it a preprocessor (that was the term you used, and that was
just technicalloy wrong).

As for the backend of GCC, actually it is well known for high code quality
and extensive optimization. On a number of machines, GCC is the most
efficient code generator available. That certainly does not mean that GCC
will always generate faster code than competitive compilers on every 
possible program of course. However, a number of our customers chose GNAT
after extensive benchmarking *because* it was the most effective compiler
*for their application*.

That's always the point, you need to find out for yourself, with respect to
your application, which compiler will be most effective. I would recommend
basing your choice on objective tests, rather than subjective guesses.

<<Believe me there is no such thing like a free ADA compiler.
Free software is worth every cent you pay for it.
>>

We certainly hope so. It is true that GNAT is not always the cheapest Ada
solution by any means, and some of our potential customers indeed find our
prices too high and opt for cheaper solutions. Indeed, if a cheaper compiler
will do the job for you, we are the first to recommend that choice.

I do hope that you are not making the common mistake of assuming that the free
in "free software" refers to not hvaing to pay anything for it. The free is
about the freedomes that you as a customer have (in particular, the ability
to freely redistribute with or without modification). 

Too bad that English overloads the word free. In France, ACT/Europe says
"GNAT, c'est libre, mais c'est n'est pas gratuit", but that does not translate
so easily into English :-)

Robert Dewar
Ada Core Technologies