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From: lwall@sdcrdcf.UUCP (Larry Wall)
Newsgroups: net.micro,net.lang
Subject: Re: Who Wants Ada?
Message-ID: <2079@sdcrdcf.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 17-Jun-85 18:43:21 EDT
Article-I.D.: sdcrdcf.2079
Posted: Mon Jun 17 18:43:21 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 23-Jun-85 03:11:53 EDT
References: <1649@reed.UUCP> <186@harvard.ARPA> <453@calmasd.UUCP> <511@psivax.UUCP>
Reply-To: lwall@sdcrdcf.UUCP (Larry Wall)
Organization: System Development Corp. R+D, Santa Monica
Lines: 29
Xref: watmath net.micro:10846 net.lang:1628
Summary: 

In article <511@psivax.UUCP> friesen@psivax.UUCP (Stanley Friesen) writes:
>	Oh, GREAT! I finally find out Ada has a really useful,
> flexible feature, that would make it useful for my kind of work,
> and I am told it is *optional*. I certainly *hope* *some* compilers
> use chapter 13, since I would hate to use an Ada without those
> features.

Chapter 13 is not optional.  It does contain two features that are explicitly
labeled as optional: machine code insertion, and interfacing to other
languages.  Which only makes sense, considering some machines may not have
other languages, and some machines claim to not have machine code.
Some of the other features may have implementation-dependent restrictions
but are not labeled as optional.

In particular, representation specifications and unchecked conversion are
not optional.  While it is impossible for the ACVC to test implementation
dependent features, I understand that at least one compiler has been
"failed" for ignoring rep specs.

It'll be easy enough to avoid buying a compiler with missing or brain-damaged
features--all such differences must be documented in Appendix F of the
manual that comes with the compiler, and if that's inaccurate the supplier
of the compiler is in hot water with AJPO.

I believe the Verdix compiler has most of the Chapter 13 features already,
though I haven't used it myself.  Yet.

Larry "Ada isn't too complex--some people are just too simple" Wall
{allegra,burdvax,cbosgd,hplabs,ihnp4,sdcsvax}!sdcrdcf!lwall