Hypertext Ada 95 Rationale

This is a hypertext version of the "Ada 95 Rationale - The Language - The Standard Libraries" with a full hypertext index and table of contents. For more information, see the copyright page and the author page.

A tar of the Hypertext Ada 95 Rationale is available at ftp://ftp.adapower.com/pub/rat95html-1.07.tar.gz

• Foreword
• Preface

Part One Introduction

• I Evolution of Ada 95
  • I.1 The Revision Process
  • I.2 The Requirements
  • I.3 The Main User Needs
  • I.4 The Approach
  • I.5 Using this Document
• II Highlights of Ada 95
  • II.1 Programming by Extension
  • II.2 Class Wide Programming
  • II.3 Abstract Types and Subprograms
  • II.4 Summary of Type Extension
  • II.5 Dynamic Selection
  • II.6 Other Access Types
  • II.7 Hierarchical Libraries
  • II.8 Private Child Units
  • II.9 Protected Types
  • II.10 Task Scheduling and Timing
  • II.11 Generic Parameters
  • II.12 Other Improvements
  • II.13 The Predefined Library
  • II.14 The Specialized Needs Annexes
  • II.15 Conclusion
• III Overview of the Ada Language
  • III.1 Objects, Types, Classes and Operations
  • III.2 Statements, Expressions and Elaboration
  • III.3 System Construction
  • III.4 Multitasking
  • III.5 Exception Handling
  • III.6 Low Level Programming
  • III.7 Standard Library
  • III.8 Application Specific Facilities
  • III.9 Summary

Part Two The Core Language

• 1 Introduction
  • 1.1 Overall Approach
  • 1.2 The Reference Manual
  • 1.3 Syntax
  • 1.4 Classification of Errors
  • 1.5 Requirements Summary
• 2 Lexical Elements
  • 2.1 Reserved Words and Identifiers
  • 2.2 Program Text
  • 2.3 Pragmas
  • 2.4 Requirements Summary
• 3 Types and Expressions
  • 3.1 Types, Classes, Objects and Views
  • 3.2 Character Types
  • 3.3 Numeric Types
  • 3.4 Composite Types
  • 3.5 Array Types
  • 3.6 Record Types
  • 3.7 Access Types
  • 3.8 Type Conversion
  • 3.9 Staticness
  • 3.10 Other Improvements
  • 3.11 Requirements Summary
• 4 Object Oriented Programming
  • 4.1 Background and Concepts
  • 4.2 General Approach
  • 4.3 Class Wide Types and Operations
  • 4.4 Examples of Use
  • 4.5 Dispatching and Redispatching
  • 4.6 Multiple Inheritance
  • 4.7 Relationship with Previous Work
  • 4.8 Requirements Summary
• 5 Statements
• 6 Subprograms
  • 6.1 Parameter and Result Mechanism
  • 6.2 Renaming of Bodies and Conformance
  • 6.3 Overloading of Equality and Inequality Operators
  • 6.4 Requirements Summary
• 7 Packages
  • 7.1 Private Types and Extensions
  • 7.2 Deferred Constants
  • 7.3 Limited Types
  • 7.4 Controlled Types
  • 7.5 Requirements Summary
• 8 Visibility Rules
  • 8.1 Scope and Visibility
  • 8.2 Use Clauses
  • 8.3 Renaming
  • 8.4 Other Improvements
  • 8.5 Requirements Summary
• 9 Tasking
  • 9.1 Protected Types
  • 9.2 The Requeue Statement
  • 9.3 Timing
  • 9.4 Asynchronous Transfer of Control
  • 9.5 The Abort Statement
  • 9.6 Tasking and Discriminants
  • 9.7 Other Improvements
  • 9.8 Requirements Summary
• 10 Program Structure and Compilation Issues
  • 10.1 The Hierarchical Library
  • 10.2 Program Structure
  • 10.3 Elaboration
  • 10.4 Library Package Bodies
  • 10.5 Other Improvements
  • 10.6 Requirements Summary
• 11 Exceptions
  • 11.1 Numeric Error
  • 11.2 Exception Occurrences
  • 11.3 Exceptions and Optimization
  • 11.4 Other Improvements
  • 11.5 Requirements Summary
• 12 Generics
  • 12.1 The Contract Model
  • 12.2 Numeric Types
  • 12.3 Access Types
  • 12.4 Derived Types
  • 12.5 Tagged Types
  • 12.6 Package Parameters
  • 12.7 Other Improvements
  • 12.8 Requirements Summary
• 13 Representation Issues
  • 13.1 Representation of Data
  • 13.2 The Package System
  • 13.3 The Valid Attribute
  • 13.4 Storage Pool Management
  • 13.5 Freezing of Representations
  • 13.6 The Pragma Restrictions
  • 13.7 Requirements Summary

Part Three The Annexes

• A Predefined Language Environment
  • A.1 Character Handling
  • A.2 String Handling
  • A.3 Numerics Packages and Attributes
  • A.4 Input and Output
  • A.5 Command Line
  • A.6 Requirements Summary
• B Interface to Other Languages
  • B.1 Interfacing Pragmas
  • B.2 C Interface Packages
  • B.3 COBOL Interface Package
  • B.4 Fortran Interface Package
  • B.5 Requirements Summary
• C Systems Programming
  • C.1 Access to Machine Operations
  • C.2 Required Representation Support
  • C.3 Interrupt Support
  • C.4 Preelaboration Requirements
  • C.5 Shared Variable Control
  • C.6 Task Identification and Attributes
  • C.7 Requirements Summary
• D Real-Time Systems
  • D.1 Task Priorities
  • D.2 Priority Scheduling
  • D.3 Priority Ceiling Locking
  • D.4 Entry Queuing Policies
  • D.5 Dynamic Priorities
  • D.6 Preemptive Abort
  • D.7 Tasking Restrictions
  • D.8 Monotonic Time
  • D.9 Delay Accuracy
  • D.10 Synchronous Task Control
  • D.11 Asynchronous Task Control
  • D.12 Special Optimization and Determinism Rules
  • D.13 Requirements Summary
• E Distributed Systems
  • E.1 The Partition Model
  • E.2 Categorization of Library Packages
  • E.3 Consistency of a Distributed System
  • E.4 Remote Subprogram Calls
  • E.5 Post-Compilation Partitioning
  • E.6 Configuring a Distributed System
  • E.7 Partition Communication Subsystem
  • E.8 Requirements Summary
• F Information Systems
  • F.1 Decimal Computation
  • F.2 Edited Output
  • F.3 Requirements Summary
• G Numerics
  • G.1 Complex Arithmetic
  • G.2 Floating Point Machine Numbers
  • G.3 Assignments to Variables of Unconstrained Numeric Types
  • G.4 Accuracy and Other Performance Issues
  • G.5 Requirements Summary
• H Safety and Security
  • H.1 Understanding Program Execution
  • H.2 Reviewable Object Code
  • H.3 Safety and Security Restrictions
  • H.4 Validation against the Annex
  • H.5 Issues outside the Scope of the Standard
  • H.6 Requirements Summary

Part Four Appendices

• Appendix X Upward Compatibility
  • X.1 Reserved Words
  • X.2 Type Character
  • X.3 Library Package Bodies
  • X.4 Indefinite Generic Parameters
  • X.5 Numeric Error
  • X.6 Other Incompatibilities
  • X.7 Conclusion
• Appendix Y Revisions to Drafts
  • Y.1 Core Language
  • Y.2 Predefined Environment
  • Y.3 Specialized Needs Annexes
• Appendix Z Requirements
  • Z.1 Analysis
  • Z.2 Conclusion

• References
• Index