GNAT (GNU NYU Ada Translator) News Briefs Nov 5, 1993

  Index 
  
  1. New distribution available (GNAT 1.59)
  2. GNAT Run-Time Library (RTL)
  3. GNU Gas problem
  4. GNAT 1.53 link problem
  5. Non-FTP access to GNAT.
  ---------------

  1. New Distribution Available (GNAT 1.59)
  
    We have changed the format of our distribution. We now have a 
    binary distribution for Sun Sparc in gzip format containing all the
    binaries necessary to compile C and Ada programs as well as the source
    of the gcc driver program which needs to be tailored to the specific
    directory in which the binaries will reside. No real knowledge of
    GNU GCC needs to be necessary to run GNAT on the Sun Sparc with this
    distribution. In addition there is a separate tar file containing
    the sources for GNAT and the necessary diffs from the official
    GNU GCC 2.5.2 distribution (GNAT 1.59 is built on top of GCC 2.5.2).
    These sources can be used for building GNAT on the Sun Sparc as well
    as cross-compilers for other machines. The sources are also available
    for general perusal.
  
    The IBM OS/2 distribution of GNAT is in a standard OS/2 distribution
    format (zip). It contains the sources and binaries of GNAT for OS/2.
    In addition the sources of GCC 2.5.2 and GAS 1.3.8 are available in an
    OS/2 standard format. This last zip file is not necessary for running
    GNAT on IBM OS/2.
  
    See README in the pub/gnat directory of cs.nyu.edu (128.122.140.24)
    for more details on the new distribution.
  
    New features for this release include:
  
    o  support for Ada 9X class-wide objects
    o  support for Ada 9X image attribute applies to float
    o  support for Ada 9X library package renaming
    o  type "Tag" moved from package System to new Ada 9X package Ada.Tags.
  
    o  image attributes for Integer
    o  exception renaming
    o  generic formal subprograms
  
  2. GNAT Run-Time Library (RTL) files
  
    You need to have some standard run-time files around in your working
    directory, such as the source of the spec of package System, and the
    object file for System. The distribution contains a directory called
    "rtl" containing the specs and bodies of necessary files. See the
    gnat-intro document for information on compiling and moving these
    files to your current working directory.

    It might be necessary to link with these files for certain programs
    like those that use for example 'Address, 'Tag, the image attribute,
    dynamic exponentiation, etc.  This will be more automated in the
    future when there will be a real Run-Time Library.
   
  3. GNU Gas problem

    The current version of gas for the SPARC has a bug.  If building GNAT
    fails with messages such as "/usr/tmp/xxx.s Error: Illegal operands",
    your gcc is using gas (versus as) and you need to not use it or fix it
    with the diff supplied gnat-1.59 source distribution.

  4. GNAT 1.53 link problem

    Several (but not all) people had trouble linking GNAT 1.53 with the
    linker complaining about an undefined symbol "_Get_Name_Table_Info".
    It is a bit mysterious why this caused problems only to some people
    and not others. In any case this should go away in GNAT 1.59. If not
    a more thorough investigation by us will be undertaken.

  5. Non-FTP access to GNAT.

    For those that do not have FTP access (only email) we are arranging for
    the GNAT distribution to be available on the AdaIC BBS. Further
    information will be posted in the next "GNAT New Briefs" as soon as
    I find out the exact details.