abdlm@dftsrv.gsfc.nasa.gov (03/19/91)
I will be recieving my new Meridian Ada compiler for the Macintosh tomorow (I hope). This is the compiler they are selling for $150 ($200 with MPW manuals) until the end of the month. I have seen some comments on this product but never any reviews. I have been told this Compiler will work on my Mac SE w/2Meg memory and 5Meg of free disk space. I intend to post a review in time for you out there to make up your mind about buying this product before the price goes back up through the roof. I purchased this compiler for my home computer which I have been programming in C. I program in Ada exclusively at work, for robotics control. It's a real drag to go home and use C after using Ada all day. If you have any specific questions you would like my review to address please E-mail them to me ASAP. $150 is an awsome price for any piece of professional software for the Mac, especially an Ada Compiler bundled with MPW. It is extremely competative with Think C, Apple's MPW C, C++ and Pascal. Meridian's efforts to bring Ada to the common man/woman are commendable. I've used my share of $20,000 Ada compilers and it has become obvious to me that the largest impediment keeping Ada from wider usage is the outragous price of most Ada compilers. If this compiler (and it's PC counterpart) turn out to be good products the Ada user community would be wise to show their support for these by purchasing these in sufficient numbers to make these prices permanant. (please excuse the editorializing). -D. Miller.
hpoppe@ncar.ucar.edu (Herb Poppe) (03/21/91)
In article <4504@dftsrv.gsfc.nasa.gov> abdlm@dftsrv.gsfc.nasa.gov writes: > I will be recieving my new Meridian Ada compiler for the Macintosh tomorrow > (I hope). > I intend to post a review > in time for you out there to make up your mind about buying this product before > the price goes back up through the roof. > If you have any specific > questions you would like my review to address please E-mail them to me ASAP. Mail bounced, so: I should like to know how well this compiler supports writing normal Mac programs (ToolBox and OS support). I should like to know how tasking works in conjunction with the MacOS (MultiFinder, WaitNextEvent). I should like to know what "Chapter 13" elements are implemented (representation specs., interrupts, etc.) I should like to know about interfacing (pragma INTERFACE) to other MPW languages, THINK languages. Thanks for offering to post a review; I am considering buying this product. Herb Poppe hpoppe@ncar.ucar.edu NCAR (303) 497-1296 1850 Table Mesa Dr. Boulder, CO 80307-3000
hasan@ut-emx.uucp (David A. Hasan) (03/22/91)
In article <10691@ncar.ucar.edu> hpoppe@ncar.ucar.edu (Herb Poppe) writes: >In article <4504@dftsrv.gsfc.nasa.gov> abdlm@dftsrv.gsfc.nasa.gov writes: >> I will be recieving my new Meridian Ada compiler for the Macintosh >>tomorrow [ ... ] >I should like to know how well this compiler supports writing normal Mac >programs (ToolBox and OS support). [ ... ] There is a separate Environment Library User's Guide in the Meridian documentation which discusses fairly extensively how to work with the Mac toolbox and OS. There are chapters for each volume of Inside Macintosh, a chapter for selected Mac Tech. Notes, a chapter which discusses working with MPW (e.g., writing MPW tools), a chapter discussing HyperCard scripting, and more. There are Ada packages provided which implement many of the managers. I haven't used these yet. However, it all *seems* fairly complete. >I should like to know how tasking works in conjunction with the MacOS >(MultiFinder, WaitNextEvent). Meridian provides two scheduling algorithms: non-preemptive (the default) and preemtive. There is no indication whatsoever that these cooperate with Multifinder. Of course, as I mentioned above, there is an environment library package which corresponds to the event manager. You can call WaitNextEvent through this package, I assume. But it does not seem to be integrated with tasking. >I should like to know what "Chapter 13" elements are implemented >(representation specs., interrupts, etc.) > Rep. spec restrictions are discussed in the Compiler User's Guide. They do not seem constraining for the most part. Address clauses for constant and variable objects are supported but not for subprograms, packages, or task units. Address clauses for task entries are supported. The meaning of task entry addr. clauses is discussed under interrupts. A task entry's addr. clause can be used to associate an entry with a unix-like signal. Only signal 2 is supported: command-dot interrupt from the keyboard. Interrupt entries may not have parameters. This seems pretty limited to me, but I don't use tasks much. >I should like to know about interfacing (pragma INTERFACE) to other MPW >languages, THINK languages. > The discussion of this in the Compiler User's Guide is very sparse. One statement leaves me very confused: "The caller removes the parameters from the stack after the called subprogram returns." I have always understood that Mac routines clean up after themselves, e.g. Macintosh Revealed Vol. 1 (first edition) says "The [toolbox] routine will remove its parameters from the stack before returning...". I suppose that MPW might have changed things, but in fact the entire discussion in the guide makes it seem difficult to call non-Ada routines. Whether calling non-MPW languages is feasible, I cannot say. It does say, however, that "all object modules must be compatible with the MPW Linker." If there is some MPW C routine void p() {...} out there, to call it from Ada, you write package callit is procedure p; pragma interface (c,p); end callit; with callit; procedure main is begin callit.p; end main; (This is taken from the guide. Notice that p() has no parameters. There is no example in which the C routine does have paramters.) It is possible to write machine code routines by using the package machine_code. To do this, you have to essentially write the code in hex. -- | David A. Hasan | hasan@emx.utexas.edu
rharwood@east.pima.edu (03/23/91)
In article <4504@dftsrv.gsfc.nasa.gov>, abdlm@dftsrv.gsfc.nasa.gov writes: > > I will be recieving my new Meridian Ada compiler for the Macintosh tomorow > (I hope). This is the compiler they are selling for $150 ($200 with MPW > manuals) until the end of the month. I have seen some comments on this > product but never any reviews. I have been told this Compiler will work on > my Mac SE w/2Meg memory and 5Meg of free disk space. I've been using version 4.0 on a Mac Plus w/4MB RAM for over a year. It's a great tool once you get used to MPW. (V4.1 is what is shipping now, and I just got mine early this week.) 2MB shouldn't be a problem, but heck, at the price of memory these days, if it is, upgrade! > I purchased this compiler for my home computer which I have been programming in > C. I program in Ada exclusively at work, for robotics control. It's a real drag > to go home and use C after using Ada all day. If you have any specific > questions you would like my review to address please E-mail them to me ASAP. I've managed to avoid C altogether in my career... I used to do FORTRAN! I too would respond to any questions you might have. > If this compiler (and it's PC counterpart) [stuff deleted] I also have the PC version. Aside from the speed difference, I don't think there are any real "operational" differences. (I know it's unfair to compare a Mac Plus and a 386SX/20mhz... but I love my Mac!) Ray Harwood |PO Box 18324 |Internet: rharwood@east.pima.edu Owner, Data Basix |Tucson, AZ 85731 |AppleLink: DATA.BASIX Associate Faculty, |Voice: (602)721-1988|CompuServe: 76645,1370 Pima Community College|FAX: (602)721-7240|Opinions: My own
dnsurber@lescsse.jsc.nasa.gov (Douglas Surber) (03/25/91)
I have been using the Meridian Ada compiler for the Macintosh for about four weeks now. Overall I am pleased; it does almost everything I want to do. However . . . You cannot make calls to QuickDraw except from the main task. I had originally planned on structuring my applications as several tasks, one to handle window management, one to handle mouse and keyboard events, one (or more) to do the real work. But this doesn't work. These secondary tasks cannot make QuickDraw calls. :-( I haven't done any poking around to determine why this is the case, but my guess is that the secondary task stack space is allocated on the heap so QuickDraw thinks that StackTop has passed HeapTop and generates an out of memory condition. For dynamically created tasks I can see why allocating the task stack space on the heap would be necessary, but for static tasks it should be possible to allocate the stack space at the bottom of the main task stack. This would keep QuickDraw from getting confused. I talked to Meridian and they said they would have a techie type call me, but they haven't done so yet. Other than the above I am pleased, and you can't beat the price. The $149 price expires the comming Sunday 31MAR91, so if you are interested, hurry. Douglas Surber -- Douglas Surber Internet: lobster!lescsse!dnsurber@menudo.uh.edu Lockheed (LESC) UUCP: lobster!lescsse!dnsurber SSE SSFP NASAmail: dnsurber/jsc/nasa Houston, Texas Phone: 713-283-5195
rimvallm@meson.crd.ge.com (Magnus Rimvall) (03/26/91)
In article <dnsurber.669909679@node_2204c> dsurber@nasamail.nasa.gov writes: >Other than the above I am pleased, and you can't beat the price. The >$149 price expires the comming Sunday 31MAR91, so if you are interested, >hurry. Please hurry and post Meridan's phone number, address, order number, options and so on ASAP. Are credit-card buys possible? Magnus Rimvall Standard Disclaimer
mfeldman@seas.gwu.edu (Michael Feldman) (03/26/91)
In article <17879@crdgw1.crd.ge.com> rimvallm@meson.crd.ge.com (Magnus Rimvall) writes: >Please hurry and post Meridan's phone number, address, order number, >options and so on ASAP. Are credit-card buys possible? > Meridian's number is 1-800-221-2522, Irvine Calif. They will take VISA. Mike Feldman
dnsurber@lescsse.jsc.nasa.gov (Douglas Surber) (03/27/91)
In <17879@crdgw1.crd.ge.com> rimvallm@meson.crd.ge.com (Magnus Rimvall) writes: >Please hurry and post Meridan's phone number, address, order number, >options and so on ASAP. Are credit-card buys possible? Meridian software Systems Inc. 10 Pasteur Street Irvine, CA 92718 800-221-2522 Sales 714-727-0700 Business 714-727-3583 Fax Credit card phone orders are accepted. Price is $149 plus $10 shipping. -- Douglas Surber Internet: dnsurber@jsc.nasa.gov Lockheed NASAmail: dnsurber/jsc/nasa Houston, Texas Phone: 713-283-5195 Life can be only understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards.