Verdix Corporation was an American software company active in the 1980s and 1990s and based in

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, that specialized in

language compiler In computing, a compiler is a computer program that translates computer code written in one programming language (the ''source'' language) into another language (the ''target'' language). The name "compiler" is primarily used for programs that ...

s for the Ada programming language. Verdix was founded in 1982 by George Cowan and Donn Milton. It became a public company in 1983. Cohen served as its CEO and chair while Milton managed the company's Ada Products Division. Its initial offices were in

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but it subsequently moved to

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and then

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, all within Fairfax County in northern Virginia. The Verdix Ada Development System (VADS) provided a set of tools for software developers who create complex systems. It included an Ada compiler, a visual debugger, a library management system, and an efficient runtime system. VADS was sold in several configurations: * VADS self: For self-hosted systems running on workstations * VADScross: For applications embedded in microprocessors * VADSworks: For networked microprocessor applications providing critical communications and efficiency * VADSpro: A complete

configuration management Configuration management (CM) is a process for establishing and maintaining consistency of a product's performance, functional, and physical attributes with its requirements, design, and operational information throughout its life. The CM proc ...

system integrated with IDE OODSA/Ada, SART ( automated reasoning tools), and Interleaf * VADS APSE: VADSpro plus tools for developing

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applications * VSLAN (Verdix Secure

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): For developers working in highly secure environments The company achieved its first official validated Ada compiler in January 1985. Verdix became known for the large number of Ada compilers it offered on many different systems, selling both native compilers and cross-compilers for embedded systems architectures. By 1992 Verdix had 105 different Ada compilers on the Ada Joint Program Office validated compilers list, easily the most of any Ada vendor (next highest was Alsys with 60). Its revenues were around $13 million. The Ada software environment was originally thought to be a promising market, with a number of small, new companies including Verdix seeking to gain a foothold in it. But the Ada compiler business proved to be a difficult one to be in; many of the advantages of the language for general-purpose programming were not seen as such by the general software engineering community or by educators. Consolidations happened within the Ada software tools industry. In 1991 Verix bought

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, another Ada compiler company. In 1994, Verdix itself was acquired by

Rational Software Rational Machines is an enterprise founded by Paul Levy and Mike Devlin in 1981 to provide tools to expand the use of modern software engineering practices, particularly explicit modular architecture and iterative development. It changed its ...

References

{{reflist, 2 Software companies established in 1982 Software companies disestablished in 1994 Software companies based in Virginia Defunct software companies of the United States Companies based in Fairfax County, Virginia Ada (programming language) 1982 establishments in Virginia 1994 disestablishments in Virginia