Re: Ada to C Translator

["Ira D. Baxter" <idbaxter@semdesigns.com>]

"Ted Dennison" <dennison@telepath.com> wrote in message
news:92fqlt$h8d$1@nnrp1.deja.com...
> In article <92fk1v0cou@drn.newsguy.com>,
>   Mike K <Mike_member@newsguy.com> wrote:
> > Question to the group:
> >
> > I have a requirment to convert and application written in ada to c.
> > Can anyone provide me insight as to any ada to c translators
> > available?
>
> I believe Averstar has a service to do that,

We offer tools and services to carry out custom analyses,
source modifications, and  code ports, using generalized
compiler technology.     Caveat: this isn't easy or cheap.
See http://www.semdesigns.com/Products/DMS/DMSToolkit.html.
DMS can parse Ada83/95.


> If you try to do it yourself, its not a trivial task. ..

.> Honestly, you'd be better off just writing the system from scratch
> rather than trying to hand-port it.

If the amount of source code is small, a hand port is frankly much
more economical than automated conversion.

If the amount of source code is big, a hand port is simply unthinkably
expensive
in comparison.

> All this expenditure could be justified if your platform doesn't have an
> Ada compiler.

Or your management, for better or worse, insists on getting out.
This isn't always a rational decision, and not always chosen by the company.
When the customer insists....

> I wonder if other walks of life have this problem... Do civil engineers
> rip down a perfectly funtional and stable bridge and rebuild it with the
> same carrying capcity using different materials? Do automobile owners
> pay mechanics to take their cars completely apart and reassemble them
> just becuse the orginial assemblers used different kinds of tools?

No, but then civil engineers aren't usually called back to add serious
new functionality to bridges, or to port the bridge to cross a different
river.


--
Ira D. Baxter, Ph.D.,CTO           email: idbaxter@semdesigns.com
Semantic Designs, Inc.              web: http://www.semdesigns.com
12636 Research Blvd. C-214    voice: (512) 250-1018 x140
Austin, TX 78759-2200             fax: (512) 250-1191