Re: How to configure GNAT GPL on x86-64 Linux for ARM ELF development

[Adam Jensen <hanzer@riseup.net>]

On Fri, 25 May 2018 10:50:07 +0000, Brian Drummond wrote:

> On Fri, 25 May 2018 04:45:16 +0000, Adam Jensen wrote:
> 
>> Is it common for developers to create their own run-time system for
>> embedded platforms? My inclination would be to look for hardware based
>> on 1) RTS availability/quality and 2) toolkit complexity/completeness
>> (completeness implies useful documentation).
> 
> Not common, no. But RTS availability (esp. SPARK RTS) has to start
> somewhere, and for the MSP430 I didn't really develop one, just adapt
> from AVR-Ada.
> 
> With remarkably little feedback on that project, I admit I've put
> remarkably little effort into pushing it further. But I want it for my
> own purposes, the watch is just a pretty by-product.

Super cool. Are your project's documents posted/hosted anywhere for 
others to view and use? 

>> Given that, which seems like an obvious thing to do, I am surprised
>> that Adacore does not have more apparent associations with hardware
>> vendors where dev-kits and SBC products are promoted. I bought the
>> Nucleo-144 board because I thought there was a BSP, RTS, and a
>> tool-chain configuration tutorial. That turned out to be a bit of a
>> mistake and generally a poor choice.
> 
> Not Adacore ... there isn't much hobbyist money for them, given their
> business model. They do publicise occasional hobby-level projects like
> Lego Mindstorms and Certyflie, but I don't see them making money off it.

They have the "Make with Ada" competition: 
<https://www.makewithada.org/>

And the Adacore University:
<http://university.adacore.com/>

If there is not a large vibrant community of people who understand and 
use the technology it will fade and collapse. It seems like maybe they 
recognize this but it doesn't seem like they know what to do. (Only an 
idiot would have advertisers involved in technical communication). C'est 
la vie.
 
> Meanwhile we have to support each other, perhaps your work on Nucleo can
> feed back into Simon's RTS and expand its supported platforms.

The Nucleo-144 board was selected as a gentle starter kit to develop some 
confidence and familiarity with the tool-chain and the work-flow. It was 
a total failure in this role. However, I have been keeping notes and at 
some point I might create a tutorial for Ada/Spark development on Ubuntu 
x86_64 targeting the ARM MCU on a Nucleo-144 board. After that, I will 
probably move to a platform with more resources. Eventually, I need a 
processor coupled with an FPGA - the FPGA is where most of the hard real-
time activity (traction with physics) should take place, IMO.