EZ2LOAD MSDOS-Based Ada95 Tool Suite

We are happy to announce the 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 Walnut Creek Ada CD-ROMs, but it is equally useful as an ftp or diskette distribution. All components are freely distributable. ez2load is available by anonymous ftp at ftp.gwu.edu, pub/ada/ez2load, and also in the Public Ada Library at wuarchive.wustl.edu (and numerous mirror sites), languages/ada/compiler/ez2load.

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 report@gnat.com.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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, 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, 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. It includes the Cello web browser.
• 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. 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.

For a more detailed description of the package, please read ez2load.doc, available in the ez2load directory.

Electronic Discussion Groups Regarding GNAT

GNAT is discussed on comp.lang.ada. There is also a mailing list. Subscribe by sending e-mail to listproc@seas.gwu.edu with the 2-line message

subscribe gnatlist YourFirstName YourLastName
help

You can then post by sending e-mail to gnatlist@seas.gwu.edu.

July 15, 1995 - released to the Public Ada Library by Mike Feldman
October, 1995 - update released to the Public Ada Library by Mike Feldman
January, 1996 - EZ2LOAD is now mirrored into the PAL
June, 1996    - Major update to GNAT 3.05 (includes multitasking)

This prologue must be included in all copies of this software.
Restrictions on use or distribution:  NONE

	This software and its documentation are provided "AS IS" and
without any expressed or implied warranties whatsoever.  No warranties
as to performance, merchantability, or fitness for a particular
purpose exist.
	The user is advised to test the software thoroughly before
relying on it.  The user must assume the entire risk and liability of
using this software.  In no event shall any person or organization of
people be held responsible for any direct, indirect, consequential or
inconsequential damages or lost profits.