Re: timeouts

[Stephen Leake <stephen_leake@acm.org>]

Brian May <bam@snoopy.apana.org.au> writes:

> With GNAT, I do not get the fix when it is developed, but have to wait
> until it is fixed in the free version.

This is changing, as GNAT is integrated into the gcc releases.

> If you want Ada to become popular, then it is necessarily for bug
> fixes to be available to everyone too, including open source software
> developers and companies that can't/won't pay for a support
> contract. Otherwise that will just become yet another excuse for not
> adopting Ada.

I don't really care if Ada is "popular". People should use the tools
they think are appropriate. I only care that Ada is available; I'm
comfortable that the current market will support the current vendors
for a long time.

If people choose not to use a language because the free compilers
aren't good enough for them, that's ok by me.

>     Stephen> Again, what other compiler meets this criteria? GCC C,
>     Stephen> maybe. _not_ GCC C++; I have lots of code that won't
>     Stephen> compile. But C is not a very modern language, and I'll
>     Stephen> take GNAT 3.15p over the latest GCC C compiler any day.
> 
> Also: With C or C++ you don't rely on the compiler so much to provide
> high level objects. If, for instance, the package you relied on to
> provide timers fails you can switch to another library.

The problem you encountered is a bug in a particular Intel chip, for a
particular version of Windows. That has nothing to do with the
language or library you are using.

> In my case the solutions I have seen don't seem feasible:
> 
> * use Linux.
> 
> * purchase support contract. I have to convince the company that Ada
>   is going to be more reliable first. I am not off to a good
>   start. This isn't a major project that will generate heaps of
>   income, rather its an expensive project (due to poor language choice
>   by people who didn't understand its limitations) that everyone would
>   prefer to forget about.
> 
>   It is very possible that I may be able to make this open source
>   software too, so others can use it.
> 
> * use mingw compiler - I used that GNAT 3.14p compiler because it was
>   my understanding it would be more reliable - has this changed now?

Yes.

> * use external library for timer stuff. Involves rewriting it.
> 
> 
> * use another language. Involves rewriting it. 

You've also been offered a patch, which is what you were looking for
in the first place.

-- 
-- Stephe