GNAT JVM/AVR/Mindstorms on GNU/Linux?

GNAT JVM/AVR/Mindstorms on GNU/Linux?

[deadlyhead]

Just wondering if anybody has had any success using GNAT targeting
either JVM, AVR-elf or Mindstorms NXT from a GNU/Linux environment.
I've been trying to build a JVM cross-compiler on my Debian system
with the latest stable GCC release, but have met only with failure.
Comparing the patches provided by Adacore and the GCC development
tree, it looks like I might have success when GCC 4.6 is released, but
until then I think I'm stuck.

I'd really like to develop for the NXT system, too.  I have some
friends whose kids who would be pretty excited at having robots that
could be controlled from their computers, and at least a couple of
them are old enough to be introduced to some basic programming,
robotics and computer science geekery.  I've been introducing them all
to the joys of free software (using GNU/Linux and the Gimp,
SuperTuxKart, etc), and it seems a shame that I can't use the same
system to teach them about Ada and robotics at the same time.

I'm just fishing for ideas here, and would like to know if anybody has
tried/had any success with targeting embedded systems with GNAT from
GNU/Linux (I include the JVM here because I'm looking at the
possibility for developing Android apps in Ada, too).  Am I crazy to
think that a GCC-based compiler should work no GNU systems first, then
other systems later?

Re: GNAT JVM/AVR/Mindstorms on GNU/Linux?

[Ludovic Brenta]

deadlyhead wrote on comp.lang.ada:
> Just wondering if anybody has had any success using GNAT targeting
> either JVM, AVR-elf or Mindstorms NXT from a GNU/Linux environment.
> I've been trying to build a JVM cross-compiler on my Debian system
> with the latest stable GCC release, but have met only with failure.
> Comparing the patches provided by Adacore and the GCC development
> tree, it looks like I might have success when GCC 4.6 is released, but
> until then I think I'm stuck.

If you really need GCC 4.6, then I suggest you use it :)  You don't
have to wait for another year for the release of 4.6.0; you can
compile from the sources any day.  OK, you might run into bugs but
your reports would then be very valuable; the fixes would make it into
4.6.0.  Note that the end of Stage 1 is scheduled for today; from then
on the sources of GCC 4.6 will be quite stable (no new features, bug
fixes only).

> I'd really like to develop for the NXT system, too.  [...]

FTR, I'd be interested too if I had more time on my hands.  My son is
only 5, so it's a bit too soon for him anyway.  It would be great if
Debian would include a cross-compiler for the NXT, nicely packaged and
ready to go...

--
Ludovic Brenta.

Re: GNAT JVM/AVR/Mindstorms on GNU/Linux?

[J-P. Rosen]

Le 27/10/2010 02:59, deadlyhead a �crit :
> Just wondering if anybody has had any success using GNAT targeting
> either JVM, AVR-elf or Mindstorms NXT from a GNU/Linux environment.
> I've been trying to build a JVM cross-compiler on my Debian system
> with the latest stable GCC release, but have met only with failure.

I am currently at the SIGAda conference, and we had yesterday a paper
from the people of Universidad Politecnica de Madrid, who did the port.
I asked the question whether AdaCore would accept their contribution,
and the response was no (not yet), but that they would happily provide
it to anybody interested.

I'll transmit your E-mail to Peter Bradley who did the talk
-- 
---------------------------------------------------------
           J-P. Rosen (rosen@adalog.fr)
Adalog a d�m�nag� / Adalog has moved:
2 rue du Docteur Lombard, 92441 Issy-les-Moulineaux CEDEX
Tel: +33 1 45 29 21 52, Fax: +33 1 45 29 25 00

Re: GNAT JVM/AVR/Mindstorms on GNU/Linux?

[deadlyhead]

On Oct 27, 12:25 am, Ludovic Brenta <ludo...@ludovic-brenta.org>
wrote:
> deadlyhead wrote on comp.lang.ada:
> [...]
>
> If you really need GCC 4.6, then I suggest you use it :)  You don't
> have to wait for another year for the release of 4.6.0; you can
> compile from the sources any day.  OK, you might run into bugs but
> your reports would then be very valuable; the fixes would make it into
> 4.6.0.  Note that the end of Stage 1 is scheduled for today; from then
> on the sources of GCC 4.6 will be quite stable (no new features, bug
> fixes only).
>

I've been eyeballing compiling from the GCC trunk for about a week
now, and you're right, there is no need for me to wait for a 4.6
release.  I used the 4.4 SVN regularly when it was being developed,
and never actually had any problems compiling Ada programs.  Don't
know why I've been hesitant this time.

> > I'd really like to develop for the NXT system, too.  [...]
>
> FTR, I'd be interested too if I had more time on my hands.  My son is
> only 5, so it's a bit too soon for him anyway.  It would be great if
> Debian would include a cross-compiler for the NXT, nicely packaged and
> ready to go...
>
> --
> Ludovic Brenta.

Is this a subtle hint?  If so, I'm willing to give it a shot once I'm
done moving (I'm wasting precious packing time replying now!) and I'll
let you know if I have any success.

Re: GNAT JVM/AVR/Mindstorms on GNU/Linux?

[deadlyhead]

On Oct 27, 3:36 am, "J-P. Rosen" <ro...@adalog.fr> wrote:
> Le 27/10/2010 02:59, deadlyhead a écrit :
>
> > Just wondering if anybody has had any success using GNAT targeting
> > either JVM, AVR-elf or Mindstorms NXT from a GNU/Linux environment.
> > I've been trying to build a JVM cross-compiler on my Debian system
> > with the latest stable GCC release, but have met only with failure.
>
> I am currently at the SIGAda conference, and we had yesterday a paper
> from the people of Universidad Politecnica de Madrid, who did the port.
> I asked the question whether AdaCore would accept their contribution,
> and the response was no (not yet), but that they would happily provide
> it to anybody interested.
>
> I'll transmit your E-mail to Peter Bradley who did the talk
> --
> ---------------------------------------------------------
>            J-P. Rosen (ro...@adalog.fr)
> Adalog a déménagé / Adalog has moved:
> 2 rue du Docteur Lombard, 92441 Issy-les-Moulineaux CEDEX
> Tel: +33 1 45 29 21 52, Fax: +33 1 45 29 25 00

That would be excellent.  I wish I could have seen their talk.  None
of the SIGAda talks are posted online anywhere, are they?

Re: GNAT JVM/AVR/Mindstorms on GNU/Linux?

[J-P. Rosen]

Le 27/10/2010 17:31, deadlyhead a �crit :
>> I'll transmit your E-mail to Peter Bradley who did the talk
> 
> That would be excellent.  I wish I could have seen their talk.  None
> of the SIGAda talks are posted online anywhere, are they?

They are not taped, but the slides are generally on the post-conference CD.

BTW, the talk was really about using the Lego-Mindstorm, not about the
port to Linux.
-- 
---------------------------------------------------------
           J-P. Rosen (rosen@adalog.fr)
Adalog a d�m�nag� / Adalog has moved:
2 rue du Docteur Lombard, 92441 Issy-les-Moulineaux CEDEX
Tel: +33 1 45 29 21 52, Fax: +33 1 45 29 25 00

Re: GNAT JVM/AVR/Mindstorms on GNU/Linux?

[björn lundin]

On 27 Okt, 17:46, "J-P. Rosen" <ro...@adalog.fr> wrote:

> They are not taped, but the slides are generally on the post-conference CD.
> BTW, the talk was really about using the Lego-Mindstorm, not about the
> port to Linux.

That would be interesting reading. How do I obtain such a CD?
/Björn

Re: GNAT JVM/AVR/Mindstorms on GNU/Linux?

[J-P. Rosen]

Le 27/10/2010 20:10, bj�rn lundin a �crit :
> On 27 Okt, 17:46, "J-P. Rosen" <ro...@adalog.fr> wrote:
> 
>> They are not taped, but the slides are generally on the post-conference CD.
>> BTW, the talk was really about using the Lego-Mindstorm, not about the
>> port to Linux.
> 
> That would be interesting reading. How do I obtain such a CD?
You normally get it as part of your subscription to SIGAda.

They announced at the conference it would be avalaible early 2011.
-- 
---------------------------------------------------------
           J-P. Rosen (rosen@adalog.fr)
Adalog a d�m�nag� / Adalog has moved:
2 rue du Docteur Lombard, 92441 Issy-les-Moulineaux CEDEX
Tel: +33 1 45 29 21 52, Fax: +33 1 45 29 25 00