[Info-vax] The future of Ada on VMS

[clair.grant@vmssoftware.com]

On Monday, May 21, 2018 at 4:06:50 PM UTC-4, Simon Clubley wrote:
> On 2018-05-21, Arne Vajhøj <arne at vajhoej.dk> wrote:
> > On 5/21/2018 1:38 PM, Dave Froble wrote:
> >> But once again, you're predicting without any idea of what might happen. 
> >>   You say there will not be an Ada compiler.  How do you know that? 
> >> Perhaps there is not one now, or any announced plans for one.  But VSI 
> >> will look at what their customers are asking for, and if there is demand 
> >> and good business sense to do so, do you doubt John's ability to produce 
> >> a new up to date Ada compiler?
> >
> > Ada is a bit more uncertain.
> >
> 
> Try a lot more uncertain (unfortunately).
> 
> > My understanding is that VSI has not talked about migrating
> > the extremely old DEC Ada 83 but has talked about getting ACT
> > to port their modern Ada. But ACT has dropped VMS as a platform,
> >
> 
> This is my understanding as well.
> 
> When DEC/CPQ/HP management decided to go with an external vendor
> for Ada instead of building an Ada 95 compiler in-house, that was
> when they lost control of the long term Ada ecosystem and became
> dependent on that external vendor's plans.
> 
> > I do not doubt that John could create an Ada compiler, but
> > every indication is that he will be working on other stuff.
> >
> 
> Creating an Ada compiler from scratch is a massive job. A number
> of people (who know way more about what is involved than I do)
> have looked at this possibility in various forms and have come
> to the same conclusion.
> 
> > So it will be VSI management talking to ACT management.
> >
> > Or talk to the great guys that made GNAT work on VMS I64
> > about an x86-64 version. See post some time ago!
> >
> 
> That's not really a meaningful comparison unfortunately.
> 
> The code for Itanium already existed in the code base he used and
> it was mostly a matter of learning how to use an existing GNAT Pro
> compiler for Alpha VMS to build an Itanium compiler.
> 
> All the necessary bits for x86-64 on VMS would need to be added
> to the code base before such an attempt could be made for x86-64.
> 
> This would mean however that VSI would be maintaining GCC for
> Ada only and maintaining LLVM for all the other compilers.
> 
> > If I were dependent on Ada on VMS, then I would also be
> > a bit concerned.
> >
> 
> Very much agreed.
> 
> Simon.
> 
> -- 
> Simon Clubley, clubley at remove_me.eisner.decus.org-Earth.UFP
> Microsoft: Bringing you 1980s technology to a 21st century world

We are rewriting the Ada in the operating system to C/C++ so VMS itself will not need an Ada compiler on x86. As to what x86 customers will do, that is a definite TBD at this point. We have no, even remote, plans to create it ourselves. 

Clair