RE: is ada dead?

RE: is ada dead?

[Vinzent Hoefler]

Original Message From Ted Dennison<dennison@telepath.com>

>The other is to start developing lots of "cool" stuff with it. *That*, I 
think
>we can do. Right now the best example of this that I know of is GVD
>(http://libre.act-europe.fr/gvd/ ), but perhaps I'm a werido for thinking
>debuggers are cool. :-)

Hey, this one _is_ cool.

But, hmm, quite long buglist for an Ada project *ouch* *NO, NO, NO, please 
don't beat me, it's just the big font!*

:-)

Vinzent.

GVD bug list. Perhaps a better language is not enough....

[raj]

On Mon, 9 Jul 2001 12:20:50 -0400, Vinzent Hoefler
<vinzent@MailAndNews.com> wrote:
>But, hmm, quite long buglist for an Ada project *ouch* *NO, NO, NO, please 
>don't beat me, it's just the big font!*

Here is the GVD bug list. Perhaps a better language is not enough....



http://libre.act-europe.fr/gvd/known-problems
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Problem:    Variant records that have at least one alternative with a
null part are incorrectly parsed (parsing error, nothing displayed in
 the canvas).   Workaround: Use the tooltips in the source window to
look at the value of  the variable. - Closing of the first of multiple
debuggers.

 Problem:    When multiple debuggers are present, closing the first
one raises   an error.   Workaround: No workaround for this problem,
fixed in GVD 1.1.0. 

 Interrupt button does not work under Windows
 Problem:    Hitting the 'Interrupt' button does nothing under windows
              systems.   Workaround: Use breakpoints instead to stop
the underlying process. - Cancel in File->Open Program does not work
properly
  Problem:    Hitting the 'Cancel' button causes GVD to ask the
debugger
              to open the '' program. One symptom is, when a program
was
              already open, a question from gdb asking whether the
symbols
              from the previous program should be discarded.
Workaround: Do not press on the 'Cancel' button :-) - [8408-001]
Known Problems fixed in GVD 1.2.0 - Question dialogs are off by one
character

 Problem:    When GVD pops up a question with a list of choices, the
last              choice is truncated by one character.
  Workaround: The complete message appears in the console window. -
Editor contextual menu doesn't take the selection into account in C
mode
  Problem:    If you are debugging a C file, and select some text in
the
              source editor, then the contextual menu doesn't
reference this
              selected text but still references the entity below the
cursor.
              This behavior doesn't exist in Ada mode
  Workaround: Use the debugger console to emit the commands directly,
through
              "graph display" and "break" (see documentation) -
Printing Ada arrays of access types with repeated values
  Problem:    when printing an Ada array that has repeated equal
values,
              the indexes are incorrectly computed and displayed.
  Workaround: use the "print" contextual menu to see the value of the
item. - Dereferencing variable sometimes fails in C mode
  Problem:    When dereferencing a variable in the data window whose
name
              already contains a dereference but no parentheses around
              (e.g *foo instead of (*foo)), gvd does not properly
dereference
              fields contained inside such expression.
  Workaround: Put parentheses around the original expression. -
Switching files sometimes generates a Constraint_Error
  Problem:    From time to time, when you switch to a file whose
number of
              lines is smaller than the line currently highlighted in
the
              source editor, a Constraint_Error was raised.
  Workaround: In the preferences, deactive the "Highlight current
line" button. - Selecting a non-existent file in Open Source generates
a bug box
  Problem:    When entering a non-existent file in the File->Open
Source
              dialog, GVD generates a bug box.
  Workaround: The bug box can be ignored. - Incorrect log-level causes
a Constraint_Error.
  Problem:    Invoking GVD with a log level outside of the [0-4] range
              causes a Constraint_Error.
  Workaround: Use a correct log level :-). - Load a module on the
debugger console does not update the explorer
  Problem:    When using the load or file command in the debugger
console
              window, the source explorer is not updated.
Workaround: Either load using the File->Open Program... menu, or use
the
              "Reload Sources" in the explorer contextual menu. -
Displaying list of tasks on a non running program.
  Problem:    Opening the menu Data->Tasks... will generate a bug box
when the
              program being debugged has not been started or is
terminated.   Workaround: Close the task window when the program is
not running. - [8715-002] Explorer does not handle files starting with
no comment/blank line
  Problem:    GVD will generate a bug box when trying to open in the
explorer
              window a package that starts with no blank or comment
line.   Workaround: Add a comment or blank line at the beginning of
the package. - Parsing Ada exported variables in C
  Problem:    GVD will generate a bug box when trying to display in C
mode
              a variable declared in Ada.   Workaround: Set the
language to Ada before displaying the variable. - Parsing
unconstrained Ada arrays
  Problem:    Some arrays are incorrectly displayed by GVD, and all
the items
              appear to have an index equal to 0.   Workaround: Try to
display a slice of the array ("graph display A(2..5)") - Display the
manual with no open debugger
  Problem:    It isn't possible to display the GVD manual (from the
menu
              Help->Manual) when no debugger is currently open.
Workaround: Open a new debugger with the menu Files->Open Debugger -
Parsing C++ classes with virtual methods
  Problem:    When a class defines virtual methods, it has an extra
invisible
              fields that breaks the display in the canvas.
Workaround: Use the tooltips to examine the class - Parsing C++
classes with no field
  Problem:    Gvd isn't able to correctly parse C++ classes that do
not define
              any new field, but only methods.   Workaround: Use the
tooltips to examine the class Known Problems fixed in GVD 1.1.0 -
Tooltips are not always shown.
  Problem:    When starting the debugged program using the debugger
console
              window (by e.g typing "run"), the tooltips are not
activated.   Workaround: Use the "Run" or "Start" buttons instead of
using the console
              window. - Dereferencing Ada string parameters
  Problem:    When trying to display/dereference the value of a string
              parameter or of a string access in the canvas, this
creates a
              self-pointing link to the value, and it is not possible
to see
              the value of the string.   Workaround: Disable alias
detection in the canvas, or display parameter.all
              explicitely. - [8524-010] Refresh problem in the canvas
on NT
  Problem:    When big items are moved in the canvas on NT, there
appears some
              black areas which are incorrectly refreshed.
Workaround: Force a refresh of the canvas, by iconizing the GVD window
and
              de-iconizing it afterwards. - ASM view does not work
properly
  Problem:    When switching the source editor to Asm only mode, GVD
generates
              error messages on standard output and does not handle
properly
              the windows when switching back to Source mode.
Workaround: Use the Asm+Source mode instead. - [8524-008] Cannot call
the editor under NT
  Problem:    When using the File->Edit Current Source menu under NT,
GVD
              launches the external editor using forward slashes
instead of
              backslashes.   Workaround: Use an editor that
understands forward slashes. - Loading a non existant executable
generates a bug box
  Problem:    When using the File->Open Program... menu and specifying
              a non existant file, GVD generates a bug box instead of
              reporting the error in the status bar.   Workaround: The
error can safely be ignored. - Wrong command line "--log-level" not
handled properly
  Problem:    When specifying the --log-level option with no
parameter,
              GVD generates a bug box instead of displaying the help
              text.   Workaround: Use proper syntax for --log-level
argument. - Support for CR characters on Unix systems
  Problem:    GVD can not correctly detect whether a file contains CR
              characters unless it is on a Windows system. This
results in the
              current line being incorrectly highlighted in the source
              editor.   Workaround: Strip the CR characters from the
files before using them. - [8531-006] --no-explorer option generates a
bug box
  Problem:    When using the --no-explorer command line option, GVD
generates
              an assert failure.   Workaround: Do not use the
--no-explorer option, or create a file
              $HOME/.gvd/preferences containing the following lines:
<?xml version="1.0"?>
              <preferences>
                <Display_Explorer>FALSE</Display_Explorer>
              </preferences> - Parsing of unsigned char variables.
  Problem:    When trying to display an unsigned char, GVD recurses
infinitely.
  Workaround: Use the tooltips or the command window to display such
variables. - [8511-011] Parsing of Ada variant records with null part.
  Attach command in the debugger window does not start gvd properly
  Problem:    When typing the attach, load or add-symbol-file command
in the
              debugger window, some functionalities like 'Display
Files in
              Shared Libraries' are not enabled.   Workaround: Use the
menus instead, or click on the run button. - Parsing of char* fields
in C structs
  Problem:    The value of string fields in C structures is
incorrectly parsed,
              and extended till the end of the line. As a result, the
following
              fields are empty.   Workaround: The value of the
following fields is still visible, but not at
              the correct location. - Parsing of array fields in C
structs
  Problem:    Fields that are arrays of simple types (int, double,...)
are
              incorrectly detected.   Workaround: Look at the value of
the variable directly in the source window
              through the tooltips. - Current line highlighted with an
offset
  Problem:    If the previous current line contained some tabs, then
the next
              one is highlighted with an offset.   Workaround: Force a
redisplay of the source window (hide line numbers). - Wrong handling
of double in C structs.
  Problem:    When trying to display a C structure containing a
double, GVD
              recurses infinitely, causing a stack overflow.
Workaround: Print such variables in the debugger window instead. -
Incorrect highlighting of ex-current line
  Problem:    When the current line (with green background) changes,
the
              previous one is incorrectly syntax-highlighted (comments
are
              still in black).   Workaround: Force a redisplay of the
source window (for instance hide line
              numbers and display them again) - Opening the
preferences dialog multiple times
  Problem:    If the preferences dialog is closed with the title bar's
X
              button, it isn't possible to reopen it afterwards.
Workaround: Close the dialog with the Cancel button - [8327-010] NT
directory separators not handled properly in the command line.
  Problem:    When specifying an executable on the command line that
contains
              backslashes under NT, GVD does not handle it properly.
Workaround: Replace blackslashes by slashes, or use the menu File/Open
              Program instead. - [8327-009] Highlighting misspelled in
the Preferences dialog
  Problem:    Color Highlighting is mispelled in the preferences
dialog.   Workaround: None, this is a minor inconvenience with no
consequences. - Command line arguments --version and --help do not
work under Windows.
  Problem:    When using the --version or --help command line option
under
              windows systems, gvd starts and nothing happens.
Workaround: No work around, either ignore this minor problem or use
1.0.2 Known Problems fixed in GVD 1.0.1 - Start with arguments
  Problem:    When starting a program with non null arguments, gvd
only
              sets the arguments and does not actually start the
program.   Workaround: Set the arguments first, and then start the
application - Attaching to a process
  Problem:    When trying to attach using the File/Attach menu, GVD
fails
              to attach to the process.   Workaround: Attach by hand
by using the attach command in the debugger window. - Call stack not
displayed after an attach
  Problem:    When trying to attach using the File/Attach menu, GVD
fails
              to display the current call stack.   Workaround: Either
switch from one debugger to another, and back to the
              first one will force redisplay of the call stack. Any
execution
              command (step, next, ...) will also trigger the call
stack
              display. - Task window does not display the last task
name properly
  Problem:    The last task name in the task window is truncated by
one
              character.   Workaround: This is a small cosmetic
problem that does not require any work
              around. - Closing the attach process window would
generate a bug box
  Problem:    When closing the attach process window using the close
icon of
              the window manager, GVD generates a bug box instead of
              silently closing the window.   Workaround: Use the close
button instead. - File/Edit Source is silently ignored
  Problem:    When using the File/Edit Source menu, nothing happens.
Workaround: Set the environment variable GVD_EDITOR (e.g
              "xterm -e /bin/vi %f +%l") before launching gvd. -
Problem in the memory view address handling
  Problem:    In the memory view, when specifying some array variables
whose
              bounds are unknown to gdb in the Address area, gvd
hangs.   Workaround: Do not try to display memory associated to arrays
with non
              static bounds. - Special characters not properly handled
in file and directory names
  Problem:    GVD does not handle files containing special characters
such as
              '!' or ' '.   Workaround: Avoid using these characters,
by e.g using links. - Adding a breakpoint in the Breakpoint window
would generate a bug box
  Problem:    When clicking on the Add button in the edit breakpoint
window,
              gvd generates a Constraint_Error turned into a bug box.
Workaround: Set breakpoints using the source code window or the
debugger
              window instead. - Incorrect highlighting with TAB
characters in comments
  Problem:    Highlighting is incorrect for files containing tab
characters
              inside comments.   Workaround: Ignore the highlighting,
or remove tabs from comments. - Under Windows NT/2000, GVD would crash
on directory selection
  Problem:    When using the "File/Change Directory" menu item under
NT/2000,
              GVD generates a bug box.   Workaround: Type the
directory name explicitely without any pending
              slash/backslashes or use the "cd" command in the
debugger window.

RE: GVD bug list. Perhaps a better language is not enough....

[Vinzent Hoefler]

Original Message From raj <israelrt@optushome.com.au>
>On Mon, 9 Jul 2001 12:20:50 -0400, Vinzent Hoefler
><vinzent@MailAndNews.com> wrote:
>>But, hmm, quite long buglist for an Ada project *ouch* *NO, NO, NO, please
>>don't beat me, it's just the big font!*
>
>Here is the GVD bug list. Perhaps a better language is not enough....

Oh oh, what have I done? :-(

>http://libre.act-europe.fr/gvd/known-problems

In truth, personally I think this list is quite short. I know the current
wish/buglist of our still-in-development-Linux software (no, I won't post
it, I want to keep my job ;), but let me tell you about it:

Three years of C++ development, a main module will be completely revised a
second time (just will cost around another CHF 100k+, but who cares?), no
cross platform development (means: It will only run on Linux) and a working
software (ok old DOS, but at least it works) with a lot of good code (ok,
and a lot of bad and undocumented code, but this is getting better day by
day :-) is already available as reference. This project wasn't written from
scratch and the programmers working on this project had 2-4 years experience
in maintaining the old one before the "we have to go with the time" sentence
initiated this project.

I won't say that this project is easier to develop than GVD, but believe me,
after three years our buglist is *much* longer and the software is still
only working in the lab, not in real production environment.

And yes, you're right. Just having a better language is not enough. But: it
helps very much.
Just a good coding style alone can help. And, hmm, experience I don't have
to mention explicitely, do I?

All in all, I think we all know this: No software is free of bugs.


Vinzent.

Re: GVD bug list. Perhaps a better language is not enough....

[Emmanuel Briot]

raj <israelrt@optushome.com.au> writes:
> Here is the GVD bug list. Perhaps a better language is not enough....
> 
> 
> 
> http://libre.act-europe.fr/gvd/known-problems


Sorry to disappoint you, but what you posted in not the list of bugs in
GVD. This is the list of *fixed* bugs since the beginning of the project (ie
including alpha and beta versions...).
Note also that in almost all cases there is a suggested workaround, so most
of them do not even prevent you from using GVD...

I would consider the total number rather low for a project that has been
ported to so many platforms, including embedded platforms, and that supports
various languages. Some of the bugs are actually gdb bugs that we have
worked around.