TEAM-ADA Archives

Team Ada: Ada Programming Language Advocacy

TEAM-ADA@LISTSERV.ACM.ORG

Options: Use Forum View

Use Monospaced Font
Show Text Part by Default
Condense Mail Headers

Message: [<< First] [< Prev] [Next >] [Last >>]
Topic: [<< First] [< Prev] [Next >] [Last >>]
Author: [<< First] [< Prev] [Next >] [Last >>]

Print Reply
Sender:
"Team Ada: Ada Advocacy Issues (83 & 95)" <[log in to unmask]>
Subject:
From:
Michael Feldman <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Tue, 21 Jan 1997 10:24:32 -0500
X-To:
Reply-To:
Michael Feldman <[log in to unmask]>
Parts/Attachments:
text/plain (255 lines)
Seventh Release of ez2load Ada 95 Compiler and Tutorial Kit for MS-DOS
--------------------------------------------------------------------
January 1997
------------

Michael B. Feldman   ([log in to unmask])
Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
The George Washington University Washington, DC 20052
(202) 994-5919 (voice)
(202) 994-0227 (fax)

We are happy to announce the seventh release of ez2load, an easy-install
kit of free Ada 95 compilers and editors, and a shareware tutorial for
Ada 95.

This kit is intended for distribution on the next release of the
Walnut Creek Ada CD-ROM, but it is equally useful as an ftp or
diskette distribution. All components are freely distributable.

ez2load is available by anonymous ftp at the following URLs:

  ftp://ftp.seas.gwu.edu/pub/ada/ez2load
  ftp://cs.nyu.edu/pub/gnat/ez2load
  ftp://wuarchive.wustl.edu/languages/ada/compiler/ez2load.

and numerous mirror sites.

New in this release:
-------------------
- GNAT version 3.07 for MS-DOS is now included. This is a _full_
  Ada 95 compiler and binder. This release of GNAT depends on DJGPP
  version 2.00, which is a GCC infrastructure for DOS providing
  a robust 32-bit virtual memory environment. GNAT has not been
  tested with DJGPP version 2.01. A mini-DJGPP 2.00 distribution is
  included in the ez2load release.

- A new relase of AdaCAPS, which includes an improved file-selection
  window, 43-line video mode, and other small improvements.

- A new simple interface to GDB, which allows the user to easily produce
  execution traces in case of unhandled exceptions. This new interface
  is available separately (see below) and is also integrated into
  AdaCAPS.

- A very nice Ada 95 VGA Graphics package (vgapck06.zip) by Jerry van Dijk.
  This includes several nice demo programs, including one that draws a
  Mandelbrot set.

- A thin binding to the well-known PC Console IO services, which
  provides single-keystroke input and other niceties. This is also
  from Jerry van Dijk and includes, as a demo, source code for
  a Hangman game.

- A full set of ez2load and GNAT documents in HTML form, suitable for
  browsing on your PC with any recent HTML browser program. This
  includes a full hyperlinked set of the interfaces to the Ada 95
  standard libraries. Some of the HTML files are part of the new
  ACT documentation set for GNAT; others are GW-developed.

- A new release of AdaIDE, with versions for Windows 3.1 and Windows
  95. These have their own installation procedures and are therefore
  not installed by the ez2load installer. See adaide25.doc for details.

- A new document in text form, netinstl.doc, giving hints for
  installing and managing ez2load on a Novell network, such as
  a university lab.

- A new release of David Wheeler's Lovelace, a free Ada 95 tutorial
  in Hypertext Markup Language (HTML). Cello is no longer included.

- GW-Ada/Ed, the Ada 83 compiler/interpreter, is no longer a part of
  the "official" distribution, because we want to concentrate on
  Ada 95 tools. GW-Ada/Ed will remain available in a subdirectory
  at the GW ftp site (see details below), but is not being supported,
  maintained, or developed any further.


Included in the ez2load kit are:
-------------------------------

- a menu-driven installer program

- GNAT (GNU Ada 95 Translator) for DOS, an Ada 95 compiler that runs
  under djgpp (GCC for DOS) and provides a complete implementation
  of Ada 95. A basic djgpp distribution is included in the kit and
  installed along with GNAT. The initial version of GNAT was created
  by a team at New York University. Subsequent development of the system
  and ongoing support is provided by Ada Core Technologies. Report
  GNAT bugs to [log in to unmask]

- AdaCAPS (Ada Computer-Aided Programming System), an interactive development
  environment for GNAT. The editor provides full support for multiple
  re-sizable windows (overlaid or tiled), mouse and keystroke interactions,
  and single-keystroke invocation of GNAT compilation, binding, and execution
  commands. Ken Price of Priceless Software, Pepperell, Mass, is the
  author of this very nice IDE, which has the "look-and-feel" of a
  Borland "Turbo" product. Gautier de Montmollin of Geneva, Switzerland,
  has contributed to the latest AdaCAPS release as well.

- a set of simple DOS command-line commands, gcompile/glink/gexecute,
  which allow new GNAT users to do simple compilation and linking
  operations, and to execute programs in an environment that produces
  an automatic traceback in case of an unhandled exception.
  These commands are invoked by AdaCAPS but can also be run
  from the DOS command line. Charles Kann and Mchael Feldman are the
  authors.

- a fast hypertext Ada 95 Reference Manual. The hypertext RM can be invoked
  from GW-GNAT, AdaCAPS and AdaIDE or used as a stand-alone program. The
  author is Arthur Vargas Lopes.

- AD, a simple interface to the GDB debugger, from Gautier de Montmollin.

- a full set of documentation in HTML form.

- AdaTUI, Ada Textual User Interface, a binding to PD Curses
  and a demonstration textual user interface builder package.
  The author is Alden Dima of GWU.

- VGAPack, and Con_IO, a set of Ada 95 packages supporting VGA graphics.
  Jerry van Dijk is the author.

- AdaIDE (Ada Interactive Development Environment), an IDE that runs
  under Microsoft Windows 3.1,  and Windows 95, with the "look-and-feel"
  of a Microsoft "Visual" product. Errol Martin and Don Overheu of Canberra,
  Australia, are the authors of this IDE.

- DRGEN - a tool which allows programmers to easily generate driver programs
  for unit testing Ada packages.  This tool was written by Allan Parrish and
  David Cordes.

- Lovelace - A hypertext Ada 95 tutorial by David Wheeler.

- Ada-Tutor - a shareware package by John Herro, providing computer-aided
  instruction in Ada 95. This is an excellent package for those wishing
  to teach themselves Ada 95.

- GW-Ada/Ed, an integrated Ada 83 environment that provides an excellent
  way to get started with Ada. This system incorporates an editor,
  compiler and virtual-code interpreter, and a very useful multi-window
  runtime monitor. Several directories of interesting example programs
  are provided, including some nice programs to demonstrate Ada's
  multitasking capabilities. Based on NYU's Ada/Ed compiler,
  GW-Ada/Ed was developed by Charles Kann, GW doctoral student,
  and Arthur Vargas Lopes, a GW graduate now of Porto Alegre, Brazil.

  As mentioned above, GW-Ada/Ed is no longer an official part of
  ez2load, but will remain available if you wish to acquire it.
  If you acquire the GW-Ada/Ed files, the installer will install
  it for you properly.

All components are free except for Ada-Tutor, which carries a shareware
fee if you decide to keep it and use it.

Acquiring ez2load by anonymous ftp:
----------------------------------

The ez2load suite is available in these directories:

ftp://ftp.seas.gwu.edu/pub/ada/ez2load   (The George Washington University)
ftp://cs.nyu.edu/pub/gnat/ez2load   (New York University)
ftp://wuarchive.wustl.edu/languages/ada/compiler/ez2load
                                    (Public Ada Library)

as well as multiple sites that mirror the above.

Here are all the files to copy from the ftp directory:

  README       - This readme file
  ginstall.exe - Program to do the install from a hard disk.
  dinstall.exe - Program to do the install if you use diskettes.
  install.scr  - This script files gives options to the install program.
  unzip.exe    - Info-Unzip, used to unzip distribution files.
                 (pkunzip will NOT unpack this distribution properly)
  README.DSK   - A readme file to explain how to use this distribution
                 to make a diskette distribution.

Download the above six files, and any or all of the zip files below,
into a "clean" single directory of your choosing, then change to that
directory and type "ginstall".

  gnat3071.zip
  gnat3072.zip
  gnat3073.zip
  gnat3074.zip
  djgpp200.zip - Zip files containing djgpp and GNAT

  acaps22.zip  - Zip file containing AdaCAPS and the GW-GNAT
                 support programs, as well as the AD binaries which
                 are integrated into the environment.

  doc_html.zip - Zip file containing all the HTML-formatted documents.

  ad.zip       - separate Zip file containing AD

  drgen.zip    - separate Zip file containing DRGEN

  adatui.zip   - separate Zip file containing AdaTUI

  vgapck06.zip - separate Zip file containing VGAPack

  conio_02.zip - separate Zip file containing Console IO

  lovelace.zip - Zip file containing Lovelace.

  adatutor.zip - Zip file containing adatutor.

The following three files are distributed wih ez2load for convenience,
but are not installed by the installer, as they have their own
special installation procedures.

  adaide25.doc - documentation for AdaIDE
  a25win31.zip - Zip file containing AdaIDE for Windows 3.1
  a25win95.zip - Zip file containing AdaIDE for Windows 95

The following files are available in the subdirectory
pub/ada/ez2load/gw-adaed:

  adaed1.zip
  adaed2.zip   - Zip files containing GW-Ada/Ed.
  install.scr  - special installer script for GW-Ada/Ed

The complete zipped distribution occupies just under 13 megabytes; the
complete unpacked and installed distribution requires about 40 megabytes.
To get an idea of the individual unpacked pieces, just download
ginstall.exe and install.scr and run ginstall. It will tell you
the approximate installed sizes of the various components.

You need an MS-DOS computer with an 80386 or better CPU; 4 megabytes
minimum RAM, 8 mb preferred. GNAT does not support computers with
software-emulated floating point.

For a more detailed description of the package, please read
EZ2LOAD.DOC.

Electronic Discussion Groups Regarding GNAT
-------------------------------------------
GNAT is discussed on comp.lang.ada. There is also a mailing list.

SUBSCRIBE INSTRUCTION:

   To: [log in to unmask]
   Subject: subscribe your-email-address

"your-email-address" is to be replaced by a valid email address. If
the word "subscribe" is alone in the subject, the address will be
taken from your mail fields. The body of the message has to be empty.

SENDING A MESSAGE TO THE LIST

   To: [log in to unmask]
   Subject: message subject

   message body

ATOM RSS1 RSS2