Re: SGI inheriting C++ classes ...

[dewar@cs.nyu.edu (Robert Dewar)]

"Did SGI demonstrate ..."

GNAT supports fully interoperable dispatching and inheritance between GNAT
Ada and C++. FOr example, you can import a C++ class, then extend it on
the Ada side, using dynamic dispatching with it, and then reexport the
extended version back to C++. THe interface is procedurable allowing
customization for all C++ compilers we know about.

SGI has written an automatic binding generator that uses the GNAT features
(consisting of a set of specialized pragmas) to generate Ada bindings from
C++.

The demo at Tri-Ada involved the semi-automatic translation of some 40,000
lines of C++ headers from the inventor toolset. The actual demo was a 200
line main program, driving, via about 30,000 lines of generated CAda
bindings, an existing C++ code to implement the Puck game.

It's all in a quite preliminary stage, and this was definitely a demo, but
GI fully intends to develop this capabality.

P.S. the invenrot demo was completed in a period of 4 days.