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Sender: "Team Ada: Ada Advocacy Issues (83 & 95)" <[log in to unmask]>
From: Chip Richards <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Sat, 4 Apr 1998 05:02:22 -0700
In-Reply-To: <[log in to unmask]>; from W. Wesley Groleau x4923 on Fri, Apr 03, 1998 at 12:30:22PM -0500
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Reply-To: Chip Richards <[log in to unmask]>
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On Fri, Apr 03, 1998 at 12:30:22PM -0500, W. Wesley Groleau x4923 wrote:

   Which Motorola chip?  If 680x0, it shouldn't be hard to make a cross-compiler
   for PalmOS from some other GNAT 680x0 cross.

It's their so-called "Dragonball" CPU.  I think it's designation is something
like MC68342 or the like.

I asked this very question on gnat-chat a couple of months ago.  After some
discussion, the following points emerged:

 - Yes, such a port was feasible.  All it would take is time, patience, and a
   modicum of experience making GNAT or at least GCC cross-compilers.  Since
   GCC already targets a very similar variant of the CPU (the 68320,
   perhaps?) little if any changes to the code generator would be required.

 - Ada tasking wouldn't be supported, but that was deemed not to be a problem,
   since PalmOS provides all the application switching and background
   execution support one would need.

 - In order for the port to be useful, one would need to develop a binding for
   the PalmOS API.  Not a trivial task, but not rocket science, either.

I keep hoping some enterprising soul will come along and just do it, so I
don't have to. <grin>  But if no one has by the time I get around to it (don't
hold your breath) then I'll tackle it myself.

--
Chip

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