[initial Ada Bindings Working Group notes 23 Sept 1993]

On Wednesday at approximately 12:30 PM, 22 September 1993,
the Ada Bindings Working Group had their first meeting,
for the purpose of organization and determining mission
and what we will do.

Bill Loftus was elected chairman of ABWG.

ABWG's mission is:

	To identify and disseminate issues and recommendations for the
	creation of Ada bindings to software systems.

Goals include the standardization and publication of package
specifications (with commercial vendors supplying bodies to those
specifications).

We would like to get bindings to X-Windows, Microsoft Windows,
OMG's CORBA and others.  We voted that subgroups for these
should investigate Ada bindings to these interfaces, in
particular.  Eric Worth volunteered to be subgroup chairman
for the OMG subgroup.

We emphasize "bindings" rather than "standards" for our
Ada related work, because not everything we would like to
see an Ada binding for is a standard.

We believe that we can still affect the Ada binding to
Microsoft Windows.

ABWG is to address general way to develop Ada bindings:
	binding technology
	how to write a binding
	how to move from other language binding to Ada
	thin VS thick bindings
These are some fo the more general things that people
would like to see this WG address.

We want to try to affect standards during the standardization
process -- not after it has become a standard.

We will try to meet four to five times a year, including
Tri-Ada, WAdaS, and some suggested the AdaSage Board meeting.
We may also meet electronically.

Our charter should include the reason(s) why we exist
as a WG.  Our charter should also address that we would
like to go beyond the Ada community.

We want to increase the number of other systems accessible to Ada.

Can we get vendors to deliver Ada bindings, e.g., Microsoft?

Monies for travel to other standards groups to influence
bindings to Ada, e.g., OMG's CORBA.

ACTION ITEM: Ballot via email for a mission/charter.

ACTION ITEM: Distribute information via email on how to get OMG's
bindings/specifications.

ACTION ITEM: Put together solicitation of what people would like bindings to.

Things that ABWG will do:

  o  focus on interfacing technology, create a report of
     technologies and lessons learned; identify good and bad

  o  solicitation in Ada Letters on existing bindings and
     coordinate with Ada Information Clearinghouse

  o  maintain an open list of companies that produce/provide
     bindings

	There was much discussion on the original item, which
	also included keeping a list of companies that are
	interested in (acquiring) bindings, but we decided not
	to do such a list.  Reasons include: the list changes
	too fast each year, some companies may not want to
	publicly announce such information via this forum.

	AdaIC does something similar, so we can start with
	their list, perhaps.

	Develop a form for gathering the information?

	We want to send something outside the Ada community.

  o  create a subgroup for recommending/standardizing
     interfaces for Ada/X binding -- this was voted down

	Rationale for voting it down include: GUI builders
	will take care of it; market place will also take
	care of it

  o  create a subgroup for Common GUI's; the subgroup would
     look into Ada interfaces for the major GUIs to determine
     if a GUI-independent interface can be made; perhaps look
     at requirements for them and come up with a common set
     of things; XVT was mentioned

  o  create a subgroup on Microsoft Windows

  o  create a subgroup on OMG (CORBA)

It was also mentioned that SERC made publicly available
their Xt/XLib bindings as well as for the GNU Ada9X project.

Items that were on the agenda but we didn't get to:

  o  identify other "big" binding areas, e.g., OMG, and
     perhaps email and Kermit

  o  mailing list and solicit help

  o  promote Ada bindings

We also discussed the budget for a short period of time.  We initially
have approval for $5000, but we can get more if we can justify actions
with a possible high payoff in terms of impact for the creation of Ada
bindings.

We will decide via email where/when our next meeting will be.