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From: larry@JPL-VLSI.ARPA
Newsgroups: mod.computers.vax
Subject: Ada question
Message-ID: <8601231149.AA24322@ucbvax.berkeley.edu>
Date: Fri, 17-Jan-86 19:08:21 EST
Article-I.D.: ucbvax.8601231149.AA24322
Posted: Fri Jan 17 19:08:21 1986
Date-Received: Fri, 24-Jan-86 03:21:03 EST
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The DEC Ada compiler is probably the best around for VMS.  Verdix may have 
the best for Unix systems.  They both cost about the same--$25,000.  Third-
party sources, even if they exist, are not going to cost less.  Remember 
that Ada is the property of the richest SW market around: DoD.  And 
considering market realities, if you pay less you get less.

If you want to pay the least money in the absolute sense, if you have an 
IBM PC/AT or compatible try Alsys (in Massachusetts 617 890-0030).  They're 
about to release a compiler that will run under PC-DOS and create DOS 
programs.  Price is not set but my guess is about $2500.  Alsys also has a 
product for Sun and Apollo, though you may want to get the Verdix system 
instead.  (The Alsys product is supposed to be pretty good, however.  I 
doubt if you'd go far wrong using either.)

Remember that the DOS AT is a single-user system.  A VAX can support 10 
times the Ada users at any one time, and hundreds each week, so the per-
person cost of a multi-user Ada system is less.

There's also an Ada-oid compiler from R&R sytems, but it's not full Ada and 
some of it's not really Ada.  Ada has a lot of subleties, and you can have 
a lot more trouble unlearning subtle differences from the real thing (which 
you'd have to do eventually) than learning a completely new language.

For further ARPAnet info contact INFO-ADA at USC-ISIF.
                                                         Larry @ jpl-vlsi