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Sender:
"Team Ada: Ada Advocacy Issues (83 & 95)" <[log in to unmask]>
Subject:
From:
Hal Hart <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Wed, 19 Nov 1997 00:23:50 -0800
Reply-To:
Hal Hart <[log in to unmask]>
Parts/Attachments:
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To: LtCol Joe Jarzombek <[log in to unmask]>
cc: [log in to unmask], [log in to unmask], [log in to unmask],
    [log in to unmask], [log in to unmask],
    [log in to unmask], [log in to unmask],
    Les Dupaix <[log in to unmask]>,
    Joan McGarity <[log in to unmask]>,
    "[log in to unmask] " <[log in to unmask]>, [log in to unmask],
    [log in to unmask],
    Clyde Wurster at DISA <[log in to unmask]>,
    "Stiffler, Mark" <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: FW: How Anti-Ada is STC'98? -Reply
From: Hal Hart <[log in to unmask]>
Reply-to: Hal Hart <[log in to unmask]>
In-reply-to: Your message of Mon, 10 Nov 97 11:34:47 MST.
Date: Wed, 19 Nov 97 00:23:50 -0800
Sender: halhart

 JOE & Others: I appreciate Joe's complimentary words [below] about my
ability to rightly carry the Ada flag in an STC'98 session without
"Ada" in the title (and I will attempt to honorably and capably do so
whatever my panel is titled), and I do find somewhat persuasive Joe's
explanation about trying to draw into an Ada-stacked session people
who would not attend if "Ada" were in the title.  However, ...

I was told by a couple people that plenty of papers were submitted
with words like "C," "C++" & "Java" (& other PLs?) in the titles.  I
wonder if any of them were accepted -- at the same time as "Ada" is
removed from titles?  If so, then I submit that a tactical error is
being made if anyone thinks that "sneaking" Ada into sessions
unannounced will do more good than harm.  Why?  Because the STC
Advance Program will be distributed to at least 100 times as many
people as will attend most sessions, and this program will be perused
by tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of people
throughout the industry -- dwarfing total conference attendees.  And
most of these observers in the industry will notice a program with
coverage of programming languages not including Ada, and many will
infer that the rumors of the DoD's abandonment of Ada are true; this
will probably be the perception even if no other languages' names
appear in titles.  Believe me, the STC AP is widely circulated and
read!  It would be hard to send a stronger signal than for the DoD's
centerpiece software technology conference to appear to support other
languages and not Ada.  No way could this damage be undone by
drawing a couple hundred unbelievers into a convincing STC session.

As a matter of fact, what a weird notion that a "software engineering" /
"software technology" conference would not capitalize on Ada's proven
strengths & superiority to other languages in support of those themes.

        -- Hal


JOE JARZOMBEK WROTE:
>Please understand that the decision for renaming some sessions focused
>on Ada was suggested by those of us on our STC '98 session selection
>committee who are Ada advocates (we again had over 600 abstracts from
>which to choose).  We are actually attempting to attract all people
>(especially those who might have interests in other languages) into
>the language related sessions, and then presenting the arguments as to
>why Ada should be strongly considered as a key part of the "right
>solution."
>
>It seems there are some software people who don't attend Ada-related
>sessions simply because they have already decided to use other
>languages.  Hopefully, if we can get them into our "Ada stacked"
>software engineering sessions, we can better influence them to truly
>consider Ada in their solution sets.  This was part of our rationale,
>and we know that by having Hal Hart lead the software engineering plan
>review session, the "Ada message" will be appropriately conveyed.  We
>are hoping for more Ada converts and to bring a few lost sheep back
>into the Ada fold.  Presenters such as Hal Hart can help us do that.
>
>It is unfortunate that our intent was not properly conveyed.  I will
>convey this to the STSC to assure our intent is conveyed and
>understood by the appropriate presenters.
>...


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