Re: Proving Correctness (was Java Portability)

[Pascal Obry <p.obry@wanadoo.fr>]

"nicolas" <n.brunot@cadwin.com> writes:

> > : I don't know yet a good enough XML library (with DTD and so on)
> >
> > Is this one insufficient?:
> 
> No, and this is so obvious that it's very bad news somebody can think it is
> sufficient.
> Don't get me wrong, it's great to have this library for students or Ada
> fans.
> But it is definitely not ok for a professional  use.

Why ?

> You may say that we just have to be Gnat supported customers

No. Just grab the library and changes it to be whatever-compiler
compatible. You have the source, use them...

> You just forget that not every Ada project, even professional ones, use
> Gnat.

Right. So ask you vendor to adapt an Open Source component or sell an
equivalent component.

I don't see a problem with Aonix, Rational taking the XML library, adapt it to
their compiler and release the result as an Open Source add-on for their
compiler.

> > "It includes support for parsing XML files, including DTDs,
> > as well as a full support for SAX, and an almost complete support
> > for the core part of the DOM"  http://libre.act-europe.fr/xmlada/
> 
> Sax relies on Gnat specific packages.

So why ? (see above). XML has been done by an Ada fan working for ACT. That's
not a big surprise. I don't understand why you are so upset ?

And BTW, it is no fair to be upset by something that has been done. Why are
you not upset by the fact that these components have not been ported by you
Ada vendor for their compilers ?

> I even remember a post a few monthes ago saying that GNAT.Spitbol use Gnat
> specific pragmas
> 
> The library was developped and tested with Gnat 3.14a
> tested on
> GNU linux x86
> Sparc Solaris
> 
> Which percentage of Ada users are Gnat supported users ?
> 
> I would expect an Ada library to be tested at least against
> 
> Gnat public version
> Aonix Objectada
> Rational Apex
> 

Possible, but not something that should be done by ACT for obvious reason :)

Let me add that we have tried in AWS to be compiler independant (see
AWS.OS_Lib) but since 2 or 3 releases this is not true anymore. I don't have
the time to try on all available compilers, the GNAT library is so nice that I
just can't bypass it (GNAT.Regexp for example). So yes now AWS is mostly
working with GNAT... But I'd love to see others porting some stuff to be able
to avoid this dependences :)

> and obviously on
> 
> Windows ...
>  (You may have heard about it, a little operating system that a very few
> number of stupid people are still using ...)
> 
> It's incredible not to understand how such elementary things are obvious ...
> And don't tell me that may be this works, we just have to try or may be to
> change 1 or 2 little things ...
> I won't do it
> If this is not easy, I don't have to spend my time on this

Others have spent THEIR time on XML, GtkAda :), mostly because they are Ada
fans !

Sorry but I'm very upset by your mail. If nobody does the job the job wont
gets done that it !

Pascal.

-- 

--|------------------------------------------------------
--| Pascal Obry                           Team-Ada Member
--| 45, rue Gabriel Peri - 78114 Magny Les Hameaux FRANCE
--|------------------------------------------------------
--|         http://perso.wanadoo.fr/pascal.obry
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--| "The best way to travel is by means of imagination"