stt@ada-uts (11/06/86)
Ada compilers must be revalidated periodically (it used to be every year; now it is every two years). This is because the validation suite becomes more stringent as time goes on, and the language review board "refines" the official interpretation of the language reference manual. This is not directly due to the size of the compilers (though they are admittedly big), but rather both are due to the size of the language and the extraordinary concern for precision in the language definition. Yes, there is an implementor's guide (available on the ArpaNet somewhere), but it is not exactly a compiler-writer's cookbook. Rather it is a series of tips about what to watch out for, as well as motivation and explanation for parts of the validation suite.