Re: Where is Robert?

[Ted Dennison<dennison@telepath.com>]

In article <3B4162F7.8A8B4146@ix.netcom.com>, Lao Xiao Hai says...
>Hmmmmmmmm.   Misconceptions will coax Robert to participate.  :-)
>
>        6.  The most detailed, comprehensive debugger devised for any programming
>              language will be GNAT's new  GNITpicker environment.

The way I heard it, GNITpicker is the name for the new expanded programming
environment based around Gnat's old style-checking mode. This mode has been
significanly expanded to include a far wider range of formatting and
captialization checks. Now there is only one proper way to format a source file,
and Gnat will refuse to compile until you find it.

GNITpicker is more that just a compilation flag though. There is now extensive
integrated semantic checking. This is interfaced through ASIS to provide a whole
Emacs environment for critiquing the quality of your source code as you type it.
Feedback is provided through cute anthropomorphic insect "emacs assistant" who
periodicly flutters up from the lower right corner of your emacs buffer and says
helpful things like: "I see you are trying to write a sort. But no competent
software engineer would use that algorithm." or "I see that you are writing a
state-machine without using goto..."

When not advising the developers, the insect will perform amusing acts like
laying eggs on the mini-buffer or flying into a bugzapper and releasing a shower
of sparks. 

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