Re: Study shows Ada tools ten times more costly

[eachus@mitre-bedford.arpa (Robert I. Eachus)]

In article <1993May26.233758.26489@power.amasd.anatcp.rockwell.com> milo@power.
amasd.anatcp.rockwell.com (John DiCamillo) writes:

 >  Hey, put your money where you mouth is:

 >	   Tool			Platform		Price
 >	   ---------------	----------------	--------------
 >	   GNU C/C++ Compiler	Sun/PC/etc.		FREE
 >	   GNU SOURCE		Sun/PC/etc.		FREE

-- Sort of irrelevent.  We are talking cross-development tools.  Also
-- the Ada/Ed translator is currently available from the FSF, and the
-- GNAT Ada 9X front end will shortly be bundled with the above.

  >	  TI C30 C Compiler	Sun-> 'C30 DSP		~ $ 5,000.00
  >	  TI C30 Library Source Sun-> 'C30 DSP		~ $ 5,000.00
  >	  Tartan Ada Compiler	Sun-> 'C30 DSP		~ $36,000.00
  >	  Tartan Ada RTS Source	Sun-> 'C30 DSP		~ $50,000.00

-- I think that these are old prices, but look similar to what we
-- paid.  But, we have several Ada compilers running on the same Suns,
-- some of which were less expensive than the C30 C compiler.  The
-- cross-compilers are the most expensive. Native host the least.

  > Now, I realize that not all Ada Compilers are prohibitively expensive.
  > The point is that many are.  Find me a platform where the Ada compiler
  > is comparable in price to the C compiler!

-- Have you looked at Sun's prices for SunAda and for their SPARC C
-- compiler recently?  (Of course, I recommend you use SunAda but not
-- Sun C.)

  > And if you think that DTP systems are the real source of DoD tool
  > expenditures, think again:

  >	   FrameMaker for Windows		~   $750.00
  >	   Interleaf for Sun 4			~ $1,500.00

   > More expensive than WinWord, yes. Ten (or a hundred) *times* more, no.

   How about Statemate, Cadre Teamwork, Software through Pictures, SES
Workbench, DCE?  I'd have to go pull out old invoices to put prices
together, but between the tools mentioned I think we have spent more
than ten times what we have spent on all compilers.  (Yes we have the
Tartan TMS320C30 compiler, but we only need one copy of that...)

   And I haven't even mentioned the cost of ICEs, etc.  Simulation and
software design tools, most of them not Ada specific, make up a much
larger share of our tool expenditures than all compilers for all
languages put together.  I'm sure the situation at government
contractors is similar.

--

					Robert I. Eachus

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