Re: Ada Successor Language

["Jeffrey R. Carter" <spam.jrcarter.not@spam.not.acm.org>]

On 06/16/2018 12:22 PM, Simon Wright wrote:
> 
> We've been talking about the Rational R1000 (Delta 4, I think)
> Environment, which ran on custom hardware (the R1000). Rational then
> developed Apex (or ported Delta 4) to provide the same/similar
> facilities on then-common hardware. Sold to IBM ... Atego ... PTC.
> 
> I've never used Apex.

I never used the R1000, but I saw it demonstrated once.

I used Apex on 2 projects. The thing about it is that it stores the code in an 
internal format (DIANA, I think), not as text. When you view a unit as text, the 
code is formatted according to your preferences. That means everyone on a 
project may use his personal formatting preferences without impacting anyone 
else. While entering or editing text, the editor formats on the fly pretty 
aggressively, and tends to point out syntax errors.

There are default formatting preferences, which are pretty poor IMO, and a way 
to modify them, though finding the place to do that just from the UI seemed to 
be impossible. One project decided everyone should use the default. On the 
other, they had instructions on how to change your preferences, so everyone 
customized theirs. The only drawback to this was when you looked at code on 
another's display, and the formatting was not what you were used to.

-- 
Jeff Carter
"That was the most fun I've ever had without laughing."
Annie Hall
43