Re: What exactly is the licensing situation with GNAT?

[Hubert <herrdoktor@fumanchu.com>]

> I don't need to make language decisions right now, but all this is
> keeping me nervously on the fence; I don't want to commit to a direction
> for which affordable support is in danger of withering and, while I had
> thought it a good idea to use a coming project to learn and try out Ada,
> it is not like I am having to develop near-real-time embedded systems or
> suchlike.
>
> -- Mark
>

Well from what I have learned so far, I see the situation as follows:
- If you want to make and release full GPL software you're good to go 
with the GPL version of Ada
- If you write code for Missiles or Nuclear Power Plants, you're good to 
go with the Pro version
- If you're a little guy wanting to write a professional piece of 
software that you want to sell but it is not mission critical you are 
somewhat hanging in the air.

It is my opinion that what is missing is some sort of intermediate 
license for people who just want to write small scale applications and 
don't have the security requirements of big projects adn thus don't need 
the support that Adacore offers. Something like Turbo Pascal in the past 
or maybe even Visual Studio in the Personal Edition or so.

Personally I wouldn't mind paying a few 100$ right now for a license 
that would allow me to write closed source applications even if I get no 
support or just some way to report bugs which may or may not be fixed 
later. I don't need a minuteman response if I find a bug with Ada (which 
is more than unlikely to happen anyway). the current Pro license is 
something I consider but only given our particular situation where we 
sell a product first and then rewrite part or all of it in Ada and have 
the money to get the license. I would not consider it if I were to start 
a brand new project of which I have no idea how the sales situation will be.

So something like a personal license that would be nice to have.





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