larry%vlsidc@JPL-VLSI.ARPA (10/17/85)
Isn't the VALIDATED-COMPILERS.HLP file out of date? Seems to me that SofTech
just validated their optimized ALS compiler. And I got a notice in the mail a
couple of weeks ago from Flexible Computer Corp that they now offer an Ada
compiler for their Flex/32 computer. (The Flex/32 sounds perfect for Ada:
it's an NS32032-based multicomputer system that incorporates both distributed
and multiprocessor parallelism.)
By the way, it's now official that Ada will be the software-development
language for the Space Station. What hasn't been determined is what other
languages will be used, and for what. That will be hashed out over the next
year or two, partly as a result of some 55 research projects under way close
to or connected with Houston's Johnson Space Center. Whatever else is used,
however, Ada is to be considered first; a waiver will probably be required for
any non-Ada use.
Also interesting is a declaration made by IBM as part of a report recommending
Ada as the primary language. They have "two large Ada projects" and will be
giving Ada "substantial" support in the future. Typically, that's all they
would say. Not that this is much of a surprise, considering the number of IBM
people in the Ada movement (Jean Sammett and Gerry Fisher come immediately to
mind), but it's the first official written word I've seen on the subject from
IBM.
Larry @ jpl-vlsi