Re: GNAT GPL is not shareware

[Hubert <herrdoktor@fumanchu.com>]

I should maybe say that I am one of these people who are looking into 
Ada. The reason is that I realize that the language has much more to 
offer than C++ and it seems programs are more stable due to the lack of 
pointer juggling.
However, I am reluctant to commit more than some spare time to it and 
writing more than some stand alone tools because from my point it has an 
uncertain future.
Should Adacore ever break down then there would be no more development 
that's worth mentioning. Of course there is still a big userbase in 
Aviation and Space industry but I read that there are movements away 
from Ada so that is not encouraging either.

And I guess many people in my situation feel the same. They look at Ada 
and say, well it looks good in theory but what are the long term chances 
for it. Realistically, as a programmer, you have to focus on one 
language. It is hard enough for me to stay ontop of C++ and I can't say 
that I know more than 75% of the language, even though I make a living 
working with it.
Today's languages are horribly complex. Which is a reason that I decided 
for my Ada experiment that I would stay away from OOP because when I 
read questions about Ada that just make my head smoke and think: how can 
any human being understand that problem really, then it is always about 
OOP. OOP is an abomination in my mind, but that's an entirely different 
subject.

I am afraid, unless there is an Ada solution that would make small 
companies feel secure when they commit a significant amount of time and 
money, they will never do that. Simply because it's an either or 
situation with Adacore.

And yes, you can use the FSF version, but like I said earlier, if 
everybody did that, how would Adacore make money and continue to support 
the compiler? If I use a compiler, I want to make sure the company I buy 
it from will be there in 10 years and in my mind I do that by paying 
them money.

Unless more people try out Ada, there will be no growth in the userbase. 
But it's an emotional thing as well, like I said. I want to feel secure 
about the company who's tools I use.

I really wish Adacore would offer a license for small businesses that 
was more affordable. I think that would lure more people in than a 
completely free version.





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