Ada FAQ: comp.lang.ada (part 3 of 3)
Magnus Kempe
Archive-name: computer-lang/Ada/comp-lang-ada/part3
Comp-lang-ada-archive-name: comp-lang-ada/part3
Posting-Frequency: monthly
Last-modified: 24 May 1996
Last-posted: 22 April 1996
comp.lang.ada
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Recent changes to this FAQ are listed in the first section after the table
of contents. This document is under explicit copyright.
This is part 3 of a 3-part posting; part 1 contains the table of contents.
Part 2 begins with question 4.
Parts 1 and 2 should be the previous postings in this thread.
7: Bindings
7.1: General
The AdaIC (see question 5.2, above) has a report on "Available Ada
Bindings". It can be ordered in hardcopy as flyer T82, or it can be
downloaded. It is available by anonymous FTP on the AdaIC host in
directory ftp://sw-eng.falls-church.va.us/public/AdaIC/tools/bindings
7.2: POSIX/Ada
7.2.1: What is the status of the POSIX/Ada work?
The Ada Binding to POSIX System Services (IEEE Std 1003.5-1992) was
recently approved as ISO 14519.1:1995. The IEEE approved IEEE Standard
1003.5-1992 in June 1992. This is the Ada Binding to the facilities
defined in ISO 9945-1:1989/IEEE 1003.1-1990, the POSIX System
Services.
IEEE Standards Committee P1003.5 has worked on Ada bindings to IEEE
draft standards 1003.4, Real-Time Extensions and 1003.4a, Threads
Extensions. Current plans are to fast-track the real-time amendment
(IEEE project P1003.5b) through ISO as soon as it passes its IEEE
ballot. IEEE approval is expected "soon" (4Q95/1Q96), as the final
round of IEEE balloting is wrapping up. For more information, contact
the P1003.5 Chairman, Jim Lonjers (lon...@vfl.paramax.com,
805/987-9457).
7.2.2: How can I get a copy of POSIX/Ada?
You can buy a copy of the standard from the IEEE. The order number is
"SH 15354", and the mailing address is "IEEE Service Center, 445 Hoes
Lane, Piscataway, NJ 08855-1331". They will accept credit-card orders
at 1-800/678-4333. The cost is $62.50 + $5.00 s/h ($43.75 + $4.00 s/h
for IEEE Members).
7.2.3: Is it available via FTP?
Current IEEE policy prohibits electronic distribution of IEEE
standards. Proceeds from the sale of IEEE standards help support the
IEEE standards program. However, The POSIX P1003.5 committee has been
able to work out an arrangement with the IEEE to make the POSIX/Ada
package specifications available for distribution via e-mail and
anonymous FTP from directory
ftp://sw-eng.falls-church.va.us/public/AdaIC/source-code/bindings
/POSIX-bindings
7.3: How do I interface X Window System with Ada?
This question turns out to be pretty darn hard to answer easily. There
are at least three variables that need to be filled:
1. platform where you are going to be running.
2. compiler you would like to use.
3. level/flavor of X you would like to run (e.g., just need bindings
to Xlib, want Openlook as opposed to Motif, etc).
Once you fill all three of the above, then you can start to get
answers. In order to keep the answer brief, companies that offer such
products are simply listed, along with locations where free versions
are available.
Before giving you the list, a little history is in order. The first
Xlib bindings that were publically available were done by SAIC for
STARS. This implementation had many bugs, but it was there, and it was
free. This version was eventually withdrawn from the STARS repository,
and has now been replaced with a better one. In addition, SAIC has
done an Xt implementation based on these Xlib bindings (also for
STARS). NOTE: the above description may well be inaccurate,
corrections are welcome.
Now, for the list:
First off, there is a pretty complete list of available bindings
for X at the AdaIC.
FTP Location:
ftp://sw-eng.falls-church.va.us/public/AdaIC/tools/bindings/xwinbind.txt
Free versions:
STARS: bindings to Xlib and Xt. Available on
source.asset.com.
Note: the ASSET host no longer takes anonymous FTP. To
request an account, contact: in...@source.asset.com
Non-free versions:
SERC: bindings to Xlib/Xt/Motif
contact: well!serc...@apple.com (Scott Cleveland)
Verdix: bindings to Xlib/Xt/Motif
(Note that bindings to Xview are included with the SunAda Sun4 compiler)
contact: mos...@verdix.com (Paul Moskowitz)
ATC: bindings to Xlib/Xt/Motif
contact: ???
TeleSoft (now part of Thomson Software Products, ex-Alsys):
bindings to Xlib/Xt/Motif (TeleWindows)
(Note that bindings to Xview are included with the TeleSoft Sun4 compiler)
contact: mark...@thomsoft.com
X-based GUI (Graphical User Interface) Builders:
Objective (OIS): Screen Machine
contact: Phil Carrasco (703/264-1900)
TeleSoft (now part of Thomson Software Products, ex-Alsys): TeleUSE
contact: phil...@telesoft.com
EVB Software Engineering, Inc. : GRAMMI
contact : in...@evb.com
or info_...@evb.com with subject "send grammi"
Sun Microsystems: DevGuide
contact: ???
SERC: UIL-to-Ada code generator
(not really a GUI-builder, but works with several builders to
generate Ada instead of other languages).
contact: well!serc...@apple.com (Scott Cleveland)
_________________________________________________________________
8: Is there a list of good Ada books?
An extensive, annotated list is included in the companion Learning Ada
FAQ.
Otherwise, just for a list of texts (no evaluations or
recommendations) take a look at
ftp://sw-eng.falls-church.va.us/public/AdaIC/ed-train/adabooks.txt
_________________________________________________________________
9: Resources
9.1: What FTP sites contain information about Ada or Ada source?
Public Ada Library (formerly Ada Software Repository)
wuarchive.wustl.edu (Internet address: 128.252.135.4)
Mirror: ftp.cdrom.com
European mirror: ftp.cnam.fr (Internet address: 192.33.159.6)
European CD-ROM mirror: ftp.cs.kuleuven.ac.be in
pub/Ada-Belgium/cdrom
Ada-Belgium ftp server
ftp.cs.kuleuven.ac.be in pub/Ada-Belgium
AdaIC (Ada Information Clearinghouse)
sw-eng.falls-church.va.us in public/AdaIC [mirrored by the PAL,
listed above] (Internet address: 199.75.54.2)
ASSET / STARS (Software Technology for Adaptable, Reliable Systems):
source.asset.com (Internet Address: 192.131.125.10)
Note: the ASSET host no longer takes anonymous FTP. To request
a free account, contact: in...@source.asset.com
9.2: Reuse
9.2.1: Are there any free, public-domain, or other general-access software
repositories that contain Ada source code and information on reuse?
There are a number of them, among them PAL (the Public Ada Library),
AdaBasis, and ELSA, described below.
Public Ada Library (formerly Ada Software Repository)
Formerly the Ada Software Repository (ASR), the Public Ada Library
(PAL) is a collection of programs, components, tools, general
information, and educational materials; taking up hundreds of
megabytes, it contains the source code for hundreds of distinct items
as documented in its Master Index. Previously housed on the SIMTEL20
host computer, it is now located at Washington University at St.
Louis's host (wuarchive.wustl.edu -- which had been a mirror site for
the ASR). The PAL is available for anonymous FTP, directory:
ftp://wuarchive.wustl.edu/pub/languages/ada
The PAL has its own FAQ, a copy of which is stored in directory
ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet-by-group/comp.lang.ada which stores
the FAQ files posted to news.answers.
AdaBasis
AdaBasis consists of about 560 MB public domain source code and
documents, mainly taken from the Public Ada Library (PAL). The
software has been classified and is presented in a hierarchical
manner, separated in different application domains, and, for some
domains, with an additional multi-faceted searching facility.
The intent is to provide students, teachers and researchers with a
large collection of reusable Ada components and systems for use in
language and software engineering courses.
AdaBasis is a WWW server at URL
http://www.informatik.uni-stuttgart.de/ifi/ps/ada-software/ada-software.html
which was set up by the Programming Languages Group of the
Institut für Informatik at the University of Stuttgart, Germany.
They plan to enlarge the library in the future, and welcome free
public domain contributions. For more informations or to make
suggestions please contact adab...@informatik.uni-stuttgart.de
ELSA (previously AdaNet)
ELSA is a component of the Repository Based Software Engineering
(RBSE) Program sponsored by NASA's Technology Utilization Division. It
is a public-domain reuse library containing value-added software from
ASR (PAL), STARS, JPL, many educational institutions, and various
other sources. The non-software information includes relevant research
papers, standards, and technical reports.
ELSA also distributes components on floppy disks. All of its services
are free of charge.
For more information, contact ELSA Client Service at 1-800/444-1458 or
la...@rbse.mountain.net.
9.2.2: Is there some sort of database of re-usable Ada software
components?
You might want to join ACM SigAda (see question 5.3) in order to
subscribe to Ada Letters. They publish a list of reusable components
on an annual basis. In fact, it is more of a list of lists, in that it
mentions places that have sets of reusable components. The maintainer
of the Ada Letters "master list" is lev...@sun490.fdu.edu (also
lev...@vax.fdu.edu).
To our knowledge this list is NOT available online. Check also the
software repositories, mentioned above (question 9.2.1).
9.3: Where can I get Ada benchmark programs?
In addition to the information below, you may also wish to look at the
AdaIC flyer "How to Obtain Benchmark Performance Test Suites and
Results", flyer C15, file benchmrk.txt.
The Ada Compiler Evaluation Capability/Ada Compiler Evaluation System
The Ada Compiler Evaluation System (ACES) is a set of tools for
systematically measuring the performance and usability of Ada
compilation and execution systems (on a specific operating system).
The entire ACES, software, and documentation is available on the WWW
at URL http://sw-eng.falls-church.va.us/AdaIC/testing/aces/ and is
also available for downloading via anonymous FTP from the AdaIC host
computer, where it can be found in directory
ftp://sw-eng.falls-church.va.us/public/AdaIC/testing/aces
The Ada Evaluation System
The Ada Evaluation System (AES) may be obtained from the British
Standards Institute at the following address:
Software Product Services
Software Engineering Department
BSIQA
P.O. Box 375
Milton Keynes MK14 6LL
United Kingdom
Tel: 0908 220908
UUCP: s...@bsiqa.uucp
(Internet: bsiqa!s...@uunet.uu.net)
As of February 1993, the current version is the DIY-MAPSE-01 version.
It is available at a cost of 3,000 pounds sterling. BSI also offers a
validation service at a cost of 24,000 pounds sterling. Principal
documents are a User's Manual, a Reference Manual, and a Test
Description Document.
The Ada Evaluation System (AES) was merged with the Ada Compiler
Evaluation Capability (ACEC) under a joint agreement between the
Ministry of Defence of the United Kingdom and the Department of
Defense of the United States that was signed in June of 1991. The
merged product has been released as the Ada Compiler Evaluation System
(ACES), which is the latest version of the ACEC.
Hartstone Benchmarks
Electronic-mail requests for Hartstone should be sent to the following
Internet address: hartsto...@sei.cmu.edu
The reply message will contain full details of how to obtain source
code and documentation by various means, including anonymous FTP.
There is no charge for the Hartstone source code.
For people without Internet access, the address to send requests to
is:
REST Transition Services
Software Engineering Institute
Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA 15213-3890
Phone: 412/268-7787
Hartstone source code may also be retrieved from the PIWG bulletin
board. (See below.)
The PIWG Benchmarks
The ACM Performance Issues Working Group (PIWG) benchmarks may be
obtained in one of three ways:
1. Via anonymous FTP from the sw-eng.falls-church.va.us machine.
Users should issue the command "ftp sw-eng.falls-church.va.us" and
log in using the word "anonymous" as the login name and an
identifying string (e.g., the user's e-mail address) as password.
Change directory ("cd" command) to the "public/piwg/piwg_11_92"
directory and use the FTP file-transfer commands to retrieve the
files. The README file contains information about using the
benchmarks.
2. Via the PIWG bulletin board. Ideally, users should access this
from a PC (rather than a dumb terminal) using a modem capable of
sending and receiving at 1200 baud or higher. The number of the
bulletin board is 412/268-7020. Once connected to the bulletin
board, users will be able to navigate their way around the system
using simple menus that the system provides. The point of contact
for this service is Gene Rindels, 412/268-6728.
3.
Via a written request or telephone request to the following
service:
PIWG Distribution
Software Engineering Institute
Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA 15213-3890
Tel: 412/268-7787
As of February 1993, the current release of the PIWG suite is the one
dated 11/92. There is no charge for the PIWG benchmarks.
Documentation for the PIWG benchmarks consists principally of the
READ.ME file distributed with the suite and comments in the
individual test programs and command files. There is also
additional information about the PIWG suite in the Winter 1990
special edition of Ada Letters (Vol. X, No. 3, special edition on
Ada Performance Issues).
9.4: Are there any dial-up BBS systems that deal with Ada?
(Caveat: Telephone numbers can change without notice. If I find out a
number doesn't work, it will be noted but the entry will be kept in
until I'm sure the service has actually been discontinued. If you are
aware of a better number, please let me know.)
AdaIC BBS
Tel: 703/681-2845
Baud Rate: 300-28,800
Data bits: 8
Parity: None
Stop Bits: 1
Flow Control: XON/XOFF
Emulation: VT100
Once a connection is achieved,
login: guest
password: Ada4sw-eng
AdaNet BBS: This is a free service that maintains e-mail
connections for people not on the Internet, an Ada source code
repository, and a selection of other on-line Ada-related
documents. It is sponsored by NASA.
Call 800/444-1458 to register for access.
Air Force Software Technology Support Center (STSC) BBS
Tel: 801/774-6509
Baud: 2400, 1200, 300
Bits: 8
Parity: None
Stop Bits: 1
ACM SIGAda Performance Issues Working Group
PIWG Ada Benchmarks BBS
Tel: 412/268-7020
Embedded Systems Programming Magazine BBS
Tel: 415/905-2689
Naval Computer Telecommunications Command
Tel: 804/444-7841 (DSN 564-7841)
R.R. Software. Inc.
Tel: 608/251-5121
9600 baud max.
_________________________________________________________________
10: Credits
The following persons have contributed, directly or indirectly
through e.g. comp.lang.ada, to the information gathered in this FAQ
(which was managed by the AdaIC before August 1994): Stéphane Barbey,
John Barnes, Moti Ben-Ari, Heddy Boubaker, Carl Bowman, David Bulman,
Susan Carlson, G. Vincent Castellano, Cyrille Comar, Robert Dewar,
Patrick Donohoe, Rolf Ebert, Herndon R. Elliott, Dave Emery,
Don Erway, Michael Feldman, John Goodenough, Niklas Holsti,
Drew Johnson, Michele L. Kee, Mathew Lodge, "tjmesler", Gary Morris,
Robb Nebbe, Karl Nyberg, Pascal Obry, Fabrizio Oddone,
Richard O'Keefe, Kurt Olender, Manuel Op de Coul, Isaac Pentinmaki,
Margie Price, Richard Riehle, Sergey Rybin, Tucker Taft,
Keith Thompson, Dave Weller, David Wheeler, and the maintainer has
simply :-) organized, polished, or added some information for your
satisfaction. The general HTML structure of this FAQ was originally
inspired by the (now differently structured) WWW FAQ.
_________________________________________________________________
11: Copying this FAQ
This FAQ is Copyright © 1994-1996 by Magnus Kempe. It may be freely
redistributed --as posted by the copyright holder in comp.lang.ada--
in other forums than Usenet News as long as it is completely
unmodified and that no attempt is made to restrict any recipient from
redistributing it on the same terms. It may not be sold or
incorporated into commercial documents without the explicit written
permission of the copyright holder.
Permission is granted for this document to be made available under the
same conditions for file transfer from sites offering unrestricted
file transfer on the Internet and from Forums on e.g. Compuserve and
Bix.
This document is provided as is, without any warranty.
_________________________________________________________________
Magnus Kempe -- Magnus...@di.epfl.ch