Verdix
| Company type | Public |
|---|---|
| Industry | Software |
| Founded | 1982 |
| Founder | George Cowan, Donn Milton |
| Defunct | 1994 |
| Headquarters | Herndon, Virginia , United States |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Cohen (CEO and chairman), Donn Milton (Ada Products Division manager) |
| Products | Verdix Ada Development System (VADS) and variants |
| Parent | Rational Software |
Verdix Corporation was a U.S.-based software firm located in Fairfax County, Virginia that specialized in developing language compilers for the Ada programming language. Established in 1982 by George Cowan and Donn Milton, Verdix went public the following year. Cohen held the positions of CEO and chairman, while Milton managed the Ada Products Division. The company initially operated out of McLean, Virginia before moving its offices to Chantilly and subsequently to Herndon, all within Fairfax County.
The Verdix Ada Development System (VADS) provided programmers with a full suite of tools, including an Ada compiler, a graphical debugger, a library management utility, and an optimized runtime system. VADS was offered in several versions:
- VADS self: Designed for self-hosted workstation environments
- VADScross: Targeted at embedded microprocessor systems
- VADSworks: Networked microprocessor solutions tailored for mission-critical communications
- VADSpro: Combined integrated configuration management with an IDE featuring OODSA/Ada, SART (automated reasoning) utilities, and Interleaf support
- VADS APSE: An extension of VADSpro incorporating tools for CASE development
- VSLAN (Verdix Secure Local Area Network): Created to support secure software development settings
Verdix reached a milestone in January 1985 by delivering its first validated Ada compiler and became recognized for maintaining the most extensive portfolio of Ada compilers across diverse platforms. By 1992, the company had 105 Ada compilers listed as validated by the Ada Joint Program Office—the largest number among competitors—resulting in revenues near $13 million.
The Ada software sector initially appeared promising, attracting several startups including Verdix. Nonetheless, the market for Ada compilers encountered difficulties as its benefits failed to gain widespread acceptance within the general software engineering field. This led to industry consolidation; Verdix acquired Meridian Software Systems in 1991 before being purchased by Rational Software in 1994.