GNAT Project
                           GNU-NYU Ada Translator

This directory contains recent releases of GNAT.  In addition, the file
"features" is updated periodically to indicate the language features that are
implemented.

If you are picking up versions of GNAT, please read check this file
regularly for news that may be important for your installation.

VERY IMPORTANT NOTICE: (for all users)
Due to a change in the external naming convention of overloading subprograms
it is necessary to recompile any existing object (.o) files that were compiled
under versions of GNAT prior to 1.67.

VERY IMPORTANT NOTICE: (for sparc users)
If you are running a version of GNAT earlier than 1.64 and are trying to
compile the sources from 1.64 or later you will probably be unsuccessful
due to a problem in code generation that was present in previous verions
of gcc and show up in compiling GNAT 1.64.  You will need to pick up the
binary distribution for 1.64 and install it long enough to build from the
1.64 source distribution.

The dependencies for the ada sources in the 1.64 Makefile are not complete.
It will build fine, but if you muck around with the compiler, beware.

A LITTLE NEWS:
We have automated our procedures for creating new distributions and plan to
place new releases in this directory (cs.nyu.edu:pub/gnat [128.122.140.24])
with much greater frequency than the past (soon should be at least once a
week).  We will no longer announce each release -- users can just check the
directory on occasion.  This makes it more important to look for changes
in this README.  E.g. -- with our next release we will describe here that
you will need to pick up a new sparc binary.  A code generation bug, will
prevent you from building the next release from sources using your current
(1.61 or earlier version).

CONTENTS (in a little more detail):
In addition to this README file and "features", the subdirectory "docs"
contains various documents about GNAT; the file "unz50x32.exe" is used
for unpacking OS2 zip files (more below).

There are source and binary distributions both for sparc machines running
SunOs 4.1 (these distribution files end in ".gz") and for OS2 (these
distribution files end in ".zip").

Since the front end of GNAT is written in Ada, you need a running version
of GNAT in order to build GNAT from the sources.  Once you have GNAT
running on your system, most releases can be built from previous ones.
To get started initially (and when there are boostrap problems that will
be documented here) you need to install GNAT from a binary distribution.
We anticipate that many people will never have an interest in building
GNAT, and will therefore simply pick up new binary distributions.

Intructions for installing and running GNAT are in each distribution.  The
source distributions also contain instructions for building GNAT.

RETRIEVING:
Make sure that you transfer with ftp in binary mode.

UNPACKING SPARC DISTRIBUTIONS:
The Unix (specifically sparc) distributions need to be uncompressed with
'gunzip', and then unpacked with tar.  Here is the scoop on gunzip:

  Because the unix `compress' utility is patented (by two separate patents,
  in fact), we cannot use it; it's not free software.

  Therefore, the GNU Project has chosen a new compression utility, `gzip',
  which is free of any known software patents and which tends to compress
  better anyway.  All compressed files in the GNU anonymous FTP area
  (prep.ai.mit.edu:/pub/gnu) have been converted to the new format.  Files
  compressed with this new compression program end in `.gz' (as opposed to
  `compress'-compressed files, which end in `.Z').

  Gzip can uncompress `compress'-compressed files and `pack' files
  (which end in `.z').  This is possible because the various
  decompression algorithms are not patented---only compression is.

  The gzip program is available from any GNU mirror site in shar, tar, or
  gzipped tar format (for those who already have a prior version of gzip and
  want faster data transmission).  It works on virtually every unix system,
  MSDOS, OS/2, and VMS.

UNPACKING OS2 DISTRIBUTIONS:
The executables and sources for the OS/2 version of GNAT are split into 2 files,
each of which can fit on one 3.5-inch high-density diskette.  Although it is
possible to install GNAT on a FAT partition, such an installation will not be
fully functional.  In fact, we do not support installations on FAT partitions.
To install GNAT for OS/2, unzip the files gnat-1.61-os2-bin-disk1.zip and
gnat-1.61-os2-bin-disk2.zip onto separate diskettes.  (If you don't have the
unzip program, you can download the file unz50x32.exe, run it in an empty
directory, and copy the file unzip.exe to a directory listed in your PATH
environment variable.  Please note that PKUNZIP will NOT work.)  In other
words, copy the file gnat-1.61-os2-bin-disk1.zip to your hard drive, make the
drive containing a blank formatted diskette the current drive, and then unzip
the file using the command:
   UNZIP drive:path\GNAT-1.61-OS2-bin-disk1.ZIP
where "drive" and "path" is the drive and path in which the file
gnat-1.61-os2-bin-disk1.zip resides.  Do likewise with
gnat-1.61-os2-bin-disk2.zip.  Once you have unzipped both files, follow the
instructions in the file READ.ME, which is on the second diskette.  You will
need about 4 MB of free disk space after you have copied the contents of both
diskettes to your hard drive.

The instructions for compiling the source code for GNAT are in the file
README.OS2, which will appear in the directory gnat-1.61 on your hard drive
once you install GNAT for OS/2.  You will need about 48 MB of free disk space
after you have installed GNAT for OS/2 and copied gcc-2.5.4.zip to your hard
drive.  The instructions for building gcc 2.5.4 and gas 1.38.1 are also in the
file README.OS2.